From its beginning on Sept. 15 and through Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month makes its way into the Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School to be celebrated by students and staff within and outside of the Hispanic community. Spanish teachers and various Hispanic clubs are planning activities and events to commemorate the month of recognition.
“We want to have parties [as this is] a month for fun and celebration,” SPFHS junior and vice president of Union Latina club Kayla McNair told The Fanscotian.
Students will be able to celebrate their Hispanic cultures at a new SPFHS Hispanic Heritage event held on Oct. 17. Similar to a potluck, students and staff have the opportunity to bring food of their Hispanic cultures to be shared with the rest of the group. Additionally, traditional Hispanic dance performances will be showcased.
“After me and [the other Spanish club advisors] realized how well the [Mandarin] club’s [new] festival turned out [last year], we [thought] that we could unite [our] Hispanic clubs to do something [similar since] the Hispanic community is [growing] in SPFHS,” SPFHS Spanish teacher and Bilingual Club advisor Jennifer Infante said.
According to U.S. News & World Report, the population of Hispanic students in SPFHS has remained the second largest within the school. According to the PowerSchool SPFHS student demographics of 2024, 16.4% of students identify as Hispanic.
“The idea is to invite not only the students but the families as well,” Spanish teacher Senora Infante said. “This [allows] the Hispanic group to feel [more] a part of the school [and] for [the community] to be proud of their heritage.”
Many Hispanic students at SPFHS don’t celebrate their Heritage Month at home with their families. The addition of the Hispanic Heritage month festival at SPFHS serves as an outlet for many students to connect with their heritage and with others of similar ethnic backgrounds.
“This is my first year doing something [to celebrate] Hispanic Heritage month,” McNair said. “[The] month is not celebrated in [some Hispanic] families, [including] mine, [but] these [type] of events [offer] an opportunity to learn about another [country-specific] culture that isn’t your own.”
SPFHS values the recognition of different cultural and ethnic groups within the school, and Hispanic Heritage Month is the first example of the 2024-2025 school year to make that value known. By hosting after-school events and including “fact of the day” games regarding Hispanic countries, the school promotes the inclusivity of different Hispanic backgrounds.
