Students at Thomas Jefferson High School are coming together to celebrate their rich and diverse heritage.
“We have many different countries represented at this school besides Honduras and Mexico,” said Jesus R., a senior. “We have countries such as Colombia, Venezuela, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Argentina. We want them to feel included.”
This inspired Jesus, along with a group of his peers, to plan the school’s inaugural Hispanic Heritage Fair. Complete with traditional food, art, music, and dancing, the fair will be a celebration of each other’s cultures and highlight their similarities. There will also be a live muralist and dance competition.
“It’s an honor to have this for our community,” said Deborah A., a fellow senior. “Having friends from different countries – it’s fun and interesting to learn new things about other people and their culture.”
Art students will have original work on display throughout the fair, including their take on traditional forms like amate, árbol de vida, milagros, and alebrijes. Their teacher, Elsa Sherrell, said she encouraged her students to incorporate aspects of their own culture into their creations.
For example, amate, which can be traced back to pre-Hispanic Mexico, is an art form created on bark. It generally features scenes from Mexico, but Noriangelis R., who is from Venezuela, is including aspects from her culture in the painting.
“I’m using colors and images that represent my country,” she said. “The national bird is the troupial and our flower is the orchid, and I’m using these in my art. It’s fun that I can put things from my culture into an art form that is not from my country.”
For Sherrell, the fair is much more than a showcase of cultures. It is a way to inspire the students at TJ to be proud of their heritage.
“These young students who may be struggling with self identity and background, this gives an opportunity for families to come together through art, music, dance and start conversations about their culture,” she said. “It creates a foundation of empowerment and feeling good about where you come from.”
Clarissa G. agreed.
“I hope people feel at home,” she said.
The senior is looking forward to hearing the music and watching the dancers.
“Music is always something that unites our community. It’s really fun,” she said.
Jesus said he’s excited to have a chance to speak Spanish.
“Even though I come from a Spanish-speaking country, at times, since we’re in the U.S., we tend to get away from it,” he said. “But when I’m in school and I have Spanish-speaking teachers, it helps recover the habit.”
TJ’s cultural melting pot is what makes the school unique, said Camille Munoz, a ninth grade teacher.
“It’s a real privilege for our students to be from so many diverse areas and locations and speak such diverse languages and have such traditions,” she said. “It’s what makes TJ – TJ. It’s always been what sets us apart. The enrichment comes from them.”
The Hispanic Heritage Fair will take place at TJ on Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
