Bishop O'Connell celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a community gathering on Oct. 6. The Unity Council, moderated by Mr. Drew Edmondson and Mrs.Monica Stabile, sponsored this event. Under the leadership of Sierra Moore, Ellie Ward, MireyaLopez and Gaby Veliz, the assembly opened with a procession of students carrying flags from countries of their heritage.
Students took turns sharing personal reflections about the wonderful diversity of Hispanic culture. Gaby Veliz addressed the students with her thoughts on being a Hispanic-American and shared her experiences of blending her two cultures. Senior Ariana Darui, read a poem by Gloria Anzaldua, a Chicana poet, "To Live in the Borderlands." Ariana remarked, "The assembly was a way to become more in touch with my heritage. I take pride in my Mexican culture."
Lorena Meruvia stood next to a banner depicting Our Lady of Guadalupe and enlightened the audience about her story, her miracles and what she means to the Hispanic culture.
Susie and Cecy Juarez shared their experiences of a recent mission trips to Mexico to help local children who are needy. The assembly helped the two of them kick off a school-wide drive of collecting supplies for their next trip this winter.
Senior Alexis Fernandez shared the story of her own father's dangerous boyhood journey from Cuba to begin his life in America. Minerva Martinez said about the assembly, "It made me very emotional. I heard the stories of my parents."
In addition to these presentations, the club engaged the student body in a series of trivia games and much more. The assembly also included musical performances--Anthony Socarras performed Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" by Ritchie Valens and later Daniel Herrerias performed "A Dios Le Pido" by Juanes. Jennifer Maranon and Paola Iriarte dazzled the audience with a traditional dance in full costume from Bolivia, called Caporales.
The club organizers expressed their pride in the success of the assembly. "It means so much to me that we are embracing our culture while living the American dream," said Gaby Veliz. "We are bring our culture to the O'Connell stage to show our pride."