Ritenour Schools Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Ritenour School District proudly joined communities across the U.S. in celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. This annual celebration holds special significance for our district, as about 33% of Ritenour students identify as Hispanic. Ritenour’s celebration honors the rich cultural tapestry woven by students and families from Mexico, Central America, and South America. 

Hispanic Heritage Month's roots trace back to 1968 when it began as a week-long observance. In 1988, it expanded to a full month, recognizing the independence days of several Latin American countries and Mexico's historic Cry of Dolores on Sept. 15, 1810.

Each Ritenour school engaged students in learning projects, events and activities that tap into the history and culture of Hispanic trailblazers who have impacted American history, as well as enjoyed authentic Latin American music, dance, art and cuisine. Below are highlights of learning and celebrations from some of our Ritenour schools:

• Ritenour’s youngest learners at the School for Early Childhood Education worked with their families to create flags representing different Latin American countries.
• Buder Elementary is hosting a special music assembly on Oct. 23 that will feature third and fourth-graders entertaining their peers with cultural dances and songs. Buder students also created colorful art pieces that reflected Hispanic culture.
• Kratz Elementary’s Fiesta Hispana on Sept. 23 allowed families to learn more about the different countries in Kratz's Hispanic community with student projects on display, enjoying traditional snacks, playing Spanish Bingo, cultural dancing and a festive piñata.
• Iveland Elementary hosted a family event on Sept. 30 that offered a host of activities representing seven Latin American. Activities included playing several popular games in Central America to making colorful fans, masks and kites, to erupting tabletop volcanos and smelling cacao beans. 
• Marion Elementary School held a celebration for families on Sept. 24 that included Hispanic dancing and singing by staff and students, crafts, and free children’s books. Throughout the year, students are learning about various Hispanic cultures and important people of Latino heritage who have positively impacted society.
• Marvin Elementary students learned about famous Hispanic Americans during morning announcements. Marvin staff kicked off the month with a festive luncheon on Sept. 19 with homemade popular foods stemming from Mexico and Central America.
• Wyland Elementary families helped organize a Hispanic festival on Oct. 9 that included cultural games, crafts, music, dance performances, and traditional candy and sweet bread. Students also enjoyed a special assembly on Oct. 10 with fourth and fifth-graders entertaining the entire school with a dance performance. Students paraded into the gym with flags from Latin American countries. 
• Hoech Middle School students created posters during Husky Time. Each Husky Time class produced their own poster that reflected interesting facts about a specific country and related cultural information for Mexico, Central and South American countries and Spain. The posters lined the walls of the school cafe during the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month. 
• Ritenour Middle School students honed their trivia about famous Hispanic trailblazers, facts about Latin American countries, music and other historical figures and facts during morning announcements. The school’s front display case had a myriad of artifacts to admire.
• At the Hahn Center for International Learners, student committees led the way in organizing creative events that included games, cook-offs, art projects and shirt printing. The celebrations concluded with visits from Latinx professionals who shared their personal journeys and career opportunities, inspiring students to dream big.