MSMHS Holds Hispanic Heritage Celebration

In a whole-school event, students and staff celebrated Hispanic culture and heritage through food, music, and student performances.

MSMHS Holds Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Students had the opportunity to try a variety of traditional Hispanic foods in the Great Hall. Photo by Gracie Peil.

By Kaiden Chandler

Editor in Chief. Class of 2024


On Wednesday, October 18, MSMHS marked the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month with its second annual Hispanic heritage celebration. During the latter part of the day, students participated in a range of activities focused on Hispanic food, language, music, and culture.

Upstairs, various stations were devoted to face painting, dancing, and breaking open a piñata. Downstairs in the Great Hall, students had the opportunity to try a variety of traditional Hispanic dishes, including empanadas and sliced plantains.

A person has their face painted.
Senior Theo McGee gets his face painted by April Beaulieu, another senior. Photo by Gracie Peil.

Near the end of the celebration, students and staff gathered in the Great Hall to watch multiple performances by both students and outside groups. To begin, an outside group of dancers performed a traditional Ecuadorian dance.

A dancer in a white dress swirls her dress.
A dancer performs a traditional Ecuadorian dance. Photo by Kaiden Chandler.

Following the dance, MSMHS student Yubelis Rodriguez read a poem that she had written in Spanish to the assembled staff and students.

A girl in a red cloak stands looking at a person dressed in a wolf mask.
Students in Spanish classes staged an adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood." Photo by Gracie Peil.

After the poetry reading, students in Spanish-language classes performed an adaptation of "Little Red Riding Hood" that included new characters and revised plot. The play was conducted almost entirely in Spanish, with a few interludes of English narration to aid in audience understanding. The students had been working for weeks to prepare sets and memorize the lines in Spanish, and were met with applause from the audience.

The event comes weeks after a training conducted with the Anti-Defamation League that was aimed at promoting inclusivity and anti-racism at MSMHS. The administration sees cultural events like October's Hispanic heritage celebration as integral parts of the larger push for anti-racism among the student body.

Heritage Celebration a Part of Broader Anti-Racism Efforts
The school administration plans to double down on cultural events in the coming months.
The Current