Last week, the OH Latin American Student Organization Club (LASO) designed their own Hispanic Heritage Month Spirit Week to celebrate the diverse culture at OH.
Hispanic Heritage Month started Sep. 15th and goes until October 15th, with many students of all cultures participating in this week of representation.
Spirit weeks allow for OH students to connect as a community through clothes and expression. Hispanic Heritage Spirit Week especially allows Latino students to show off their culture and pride.
“Hispanic Heritage Month is important to me because I am a proud Latina. I think it is important to highlight the diversity OHS has and how alike we are when it comes down to the basics as humans,” OH Spanish teacher and LASO advisor Jessica Yandún said. “Being able to celebrate the importance that Latinos have in the USA is essential for other Latino and underrepresented students at OHS.”
Special spirit weeks created by distinct clubs, such as LASO, aim to celebrate diversity and the different cultures at OH. The need to bring attention to the diverse culture of OH and to certain groups of people to appreciate them is huge.
“There’s a lack of representation for Hispanics in general, but this month allows for fostering the sense of culture and community with Latinos” OH junior and LASO Vice President Zaydrian Vital said.
The special days LASO created, on top of allowing students to represent their style and culture, allow for creativity and fun.
“I’m so excited for Cowboy Friday, I’m gonna be dripped out in my rhinestone boots, and my belt from Mexico, I’m hyped,” OH senior and LASO member Allison Camargo said of this past Friday’s event.
Spirit weeks bring the OH community together and can bring awareness to certain topics around OH. Bringing awareness to the Hispanic community was the focal point of this spirit week.
“Besides [celebrating] Hispanic Heritage Month, we wanted to start spreading positivity and just promoting Latino excellence,” Vital said.
One way LASO promoted positivity was with their Positive Note Tuesday spirit day, where students could pick up notes to write to others from the Language Hall or near Door 11 or 37, where students typically enter in the morning.
Some of the other spirit days consisted of, ¨Lazy lunes,¨ a pajama day, and ¨Jersey jueves,¨ where students and teachers wore their favorite sports jersey.
Outside of the spirit week, Hispanic students and teachers are finding other ways to celebrate their heritage.
“I have attended [the] Aurora and Joliet Hispanic Heritage Month [parades]. I’m also just engaging with the community on social media and just highlighting Latino events,” Vital said.
In the future, LASO plans to hold even more events to celebrate the Latino culture at OH.
“We have a big dance in April where everyone can eat, dance and celebrate the LASO seniors graduating. All the funds go towards scholarships and we are so proud to be able to give out many of them back to the Seniors at OHS. We honor Afro-Latinos during Black History Month, host college informational night to highlight post secondary plans for our students. We may [also] do more food sales like the conchas we did this week,” Yandún said.
Out of OH’s many spirit weeks throughout the year, Hispanic Heritage Week sets itself apart by bringing awareness, representation, and celebration to Latino students.
Hi! My name is Kenna Ryan! I am a senior at OH and it is my first year on the 42Fifty Staff. You can contact me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and attaching my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication.
