Dancers perform at the 2024 Clarke Central High School Hispanic Heritage Festival in the bus loop on Oct. 4, 2024. In an effort to be more inclusive at this year’s festival, Tri-M Music Honor Society President Julissa Zuniga, a senior, has worked to include information about a variety of Hispanic communities. “I went last year, it was very fun and entertaining, and it was a way to express and show off all of our cultures, because I know most people in this school are a part of some Hispanic community. But, sometimes only one kind of community is expressed, and Central and South America is so big and there’s so many different cultures,” Zuniga said. “This year, because there’s so many students at this school, I wanted to showcase all of the cultures and every tradition that every culture has.” Photo by Grady Dunston
The CCHS Spanish Book Club and Tri-M Music Honor Society are coming together for the first time to host the annual Hispanic Heritage Festival on Sept. 30.
The Clarke Central High School Spanish Book Club and Tri-M Music Honor Society will join forces in the bus loop on Sept. 30 from 5-7 p.m. for the annual Hispanic Heritage festival.
Those who choose to attend the festival can expect a variety of activities centered around Hispanic culture such as food, dancing and music.
“The emphasis is on celebration. There are student performances, there will be a professional singer from Argentina, singing dance lessons by a professional dancer from (the University of Georgia),” CCHS fine arts department co-chair and Tri-M adviser Dr. Eunice Kang said.
This year, guests will receive a fake passport, created by the Spanish Book Club, which they can take to the different tables representing different Hispanic countries to get stamped to win prizes.
“Every table will have information about (a) nation (and) traditional outfits,” Kang said. “That’s the part I’m most excited about, to see what all will be at the different tables, as well as the guests’ engagement with the passport.I think it’s just a great idea.”
“There’s a lot of negative outlook (on) immigrants right now, and I know every student (deserves) the chance to showcase their cultures and where they come from.”
— Julissa Zuniga,
CCHS Tri-M Music Honor Society president and senior
CCHS junior Gwendolyn Akers, who helped make decorations for the festival, finds this year’s emphasis on different countries’ cultures important because it will give attendees more information than food and dance, which are common at previous festivals.
“Not a lot of people are aware of what Hispanic culture is and the beauty of it. (They know) the most important things like Quinceaneras and stuff like that, but no one really knows the full details,” Akers said. “To me, (it’s) just a moment of community coming together and enjoying something that’s really nice.”
According to Tri-M President Julissa Zuniga, a senior, her goal when planning this year’s festival was to make sure all Hispanic students walk away feeling represented. In an era where the presidential administration is pushing mass deportation initiatives, Zuniga wants a place for Hispanic students to feel appreciated.
“There’s a lot of negative outlook (on) immigrants right now, and I know every student (deserves) the chance to showcase their cultures and where they come from,” Zuniga said. “It’s very important to showcase what’s going on in the country, and to help embrace our cultures and showcase that all the different cultures are beautiful in their own way.”
