On Oct. 11, students, teachers, and parents alike packed into the Wellness Center for the annual LatinX Heritage Festival. The event started at 5:30 and included many informational booths, foods, and drinks from countries in Latin America, along with a band performing live music.
The festival celebrates the rich and diverse cultures and customs of Latin American countries, allowing students to showcase their heritage or something they are learning about in Spanish. “My great-grandmother was born in Michoacan, Mexico. I didn’t know much about the state and so I used this festival as an opportunity to research Michoacan,” senior Nate Zapala said.
Lots of planning went into making the festival enjoyable and engaging for all the attendees. Leadership students Kavina Habarakada and Shane Watters were the event’s student organizers for the event, overseeing the planning and making sure the festival ran smoothly. “We needed a food vendor and some sort of entertainment— so a band or a speaker. We needed lots of booths hosted by students and teachers and parents and any community members. Most of all, we needed attendance,” Habarakada, who has worked the festival for the past three years, said.
Student-run booths celebrated Latin American foods — from Horchata to tamales to Chilean plantain chips — along with music, art, and historical sites. These stands also featured traditional clothing, books, pictures, and games for students to participate in.
A band also performed at the festival, inviting many students to participate in Latin American dances like the salsa and the bachata. Attendees included Spanish students, parents, those arriving after their sports games, and passersby. “It’s great to see that our Spanish students who have learned about the cultures and done these dances since their first years of high school, are choosing to be here together on a Wednesday night,” Spanish teacher Sarah Frank said.
The event gave students an opportunity to step back from the usual hustle of school, and instead, step into Latin American culture. Organizers have noticed a considerable increase in the amount of people who show up each year. The event is also becoming much more popular among students, in the past, the majority of people who show up have been parents coming to support their kids and help set up booths. However, this year and last year the majority of attendees at the festival have been students.
The delicious food also had students gravitating toward the festival. In addition to the homemade foods that students brought, the organizers of the event arranged for a taco truck to cater food. “I found that [a great way to draw people in is the taco truck, so people start to remember that we have a really good taco truck. So, students coming from sports practices or something will come and get a taco and then stop by the booths because a lot of people have food there too,” Habarakada said.
LatinX Heritage Festival has grown considerably over the years, thanks to the hard work of the Miramonte leadership class. They ensure that each year is better than the last and continue to grow the festival’s reputation. The Miramonte Spanish program and leadership aim to continue the success of the LatinX Heritage Festivals in the following years, with the goal of establishing it as a yearly tradition every October. Be on the lookout next October – no one will want to miss the world-famous taco truck.
