CELEBRATING HISPANIC HERITAGE IN MIDDLE SCHOOL

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October 10, 2022

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

National Hispanic Heritage Month, which begins each year on Sept. 15, recognizes and celebrates U.S. Latinos, their culture and their historic contributions to the world. 

October 15 marks the end of National Hispanic Heritage Month in the United States, a celebration that debuted in 1968 as National Hispanic Heritage Week established by President Lyndon B. Johnson. Johnson's proclamation held that Hispanic traditions and actions had made this country what it was: "that, indeed, there would have been no America without them." 

In 1968, about one in every 25 people in the country was Hispanic. Today, one in every five Americans is now Hispanic, or Latinx. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan expanded the annual observance to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. 

During National Hispanic Heritage Month, the nation celebrates the countless contributions of more than 60 million Hispanic-Americans to our culture and society. Hispanic Americans are the largest minority group in the United States today, and generations of Hispanic Americans have consistently helped make our country strong and prosperous.

The special month also is celebrated widely at Notre Dame and especially in Marisol Aguilar's middle school Spanish class. 

According to Aguilar, one of the things she tries to do each year with her students is to let them experience authentic Hispanic cuisine. Her sixth through eighth grade students recently sampled a number of items from the Mexican cookbook.

"We cook Mexican corn with mayonnaise, fresh cheese and tajin, which is a condiment made from salt, dehydrated lime, and a combination of granulated chiles de árbol, guajillo and pasilla," she said. "The students loved it even though most said they've never eaten it before. I was so happy that they liked it so much. Many of them ate three of four ears and others at the end of the class came to see if I had more."

She added that it was a fun activity and that for something so simple, the students actually thought it was something extraordinary. 

"Thank God they loved that activity," she said, "because when I told them that we would cook and eat corn with mayonnaise or sour cream, they all pretty much made pouty faces."

Aguilar and Notre Dame's other Spanish language teachers typically go out of their way to get the students to explore new Hispanic things.

"We also researched famous Hispanic people, in which they cut out and colored drawing or photos of the individuals," she said. "The kids also now know the difference between being Latino and being Hispanic and eighth grade learned about the Hispanic countries and their capitals. With still 10 more days of celebration, truly it already has been a month of much fun and learning for them."

For information on enrollment and registration at Notre Dame, an independent, Catholic, International Baccalaureate school, please visit the admissions section of our website here.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. Notre Dame Preparatory School enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower schools enroll students in pre-kindergarten through grade eight. All three schools are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the National Association of Independent Schools. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school’s home page at www.ndpma.org.