Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration

By: Sydney Valdivia

La Fuerza, the Hispanic/Latino cultural club at Nease, worked with our media center specialist, Mrs. Millian, to throw an amazing fiesta in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. As a Hispanic student who is not greatly involved in my culture, I felt the phenomenal and eye-opening impact brought about by this celebration. There was a buffet line with students lined up to the door; It was filled with homemade cultural dishes: queso, salsa, quesadillas, platanos, and sweet refrescos. My favorites were the empanadas–incomparable to anything Cantina Louie could make–and the Cuban pastries. 

After I indulged in all the warm, authentic food gifted by the members of La Fuerza’s families, I decided to try some latin zumba. The songs were fun and fast; everyone was dancing with the energized instructor to salsa, rumba, and mambo. Moreover, traditional art activities were dispersed around the media center. One project included a Dia de los Muertos coloring sheet, which was very fitting as Dia de los Muertos was on Monday. I managed to talk one of the parent volunteers into giving me a second cream cheese pastry, which was quite literally a blessing. All of La Fuerza’s leadership was present and involved in every activity. The atmosphere was engaging and so welcoming; it really made me want to get more involved in my Mexican heritage and the La Fuerza club. Overall, La Fuerza threw an iconic celebration, or fiesta, that will go down in Nease history.