By: Abby Allen

    Most students at MRHS know about Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Pride Month, but are Mustangs aware of Hispanic Heritage Month? National Hispanic Heritage Month (NHHM) takes place from September 15th to October 15th each year. The month is significant to celebrate and recognize the culture of Hispanic people.

  MRHS often provides activities, announcements, and publicity during heritage months. For example, the Black History Month Spirit Week was a schoolwide event last year. When it comes to NHHM, very limited information is shared around the school and over the announcements. Furthermore, over half of the students asked about NHHM did not know when Hispanic Heritage Month was or that it is a recognized month. This might be due to low publicity for the month or the lack of schoolwide participation in events or activities having to do with Hispanic culture. 

   Senior Alejandra Lopez, the president of Spanish Club, says, “Spanish Club has many activities and events planned for the coming month. One of these activities is making flowers that will be displayed at Multicultural Fest later this year.” 

   Making flowers and participating in Spanish Club activities are open to all students, especially those interested in learning more about the multitude of Hispanic cultures that are being celebrated this month. Attending a Spanish Club meeting during flex-time or after school (when scheduled) is a good way to learn and help spread awareness about why NHHM is so important. 

   Hispanic students at MRHS are celebrating this month with family and friends. Sophomore Alisha Hennessy-Loyo explains how she will celebrate this month: “My family and I get together and have a party.” 

   A major piece of Hispanic cultures is the food, with many popular meals and snacks having roots in Hispanic cultures. A junior, Wendell Stepp, points out that not only is Hispanic food worthy of being celebrated, but also Hispanic history: “The struggles they’ve had to overcome and how it made them into what they are today and how successful they’ve become is truly impressive.” Though most students pointed out the food and colors of Hispanic culture, Stepp brought attention to the many struggles Hispanic people have braved throughout history. Hispanic cultures in 

   Mrs. Alascia, a Spanish teacher and the current sponsor of Spanish Club, talked about why Hispanic cultures and all cultures deserve to be celebrated and recognized in their respective months: “These are the people that we know, these are our neighbors, these are our friends, and I think that there’s a great disservice to ignoring culture; it’s important to recognize and appreciate that we’re different.” As a student community, it is vital to recognize other cultures and respect their way of celebrating. Not only can learning about other cultures benefit individual knowledge, but it also benefits the school’s wider knowledge. 

    There are many different ways to spread information about NHHM and expand on the efforts already made by the Spanish Club. As a school, MRHS can talk about NHHM over the announcements or include a segment in the video news at the end of the week. More decorations and possibly informational posters could be put up around the school. Students who know about Hispanic Heritage Month can tell their friends and spread the information on social media to reach more people. 

   Hispanic Heritage Month is a great opportunity to recognize Hispanic Cultures. Students of MRHS should take this month as an opportunity to respect and learn about Hispanic cultures, recognizing the importance and impact Hispanic cultures have had on the world, and respecting the hardships faced by Hispanic groups and cultures in the past.