September 15- October 15 marks another National Hispanic Heritage Month, and Urbana School District #116 is still finding ways to celebrate with its students. Though The District is currently implementing remote learning across all buildings, teachers, administrators, and parents are still finding ways to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage (or Latinx Heritage) Month. Urbana School District #116 Director of Bilingual Programs Guadalupe Ricconi took a moment to share what the month is all about, her favorite memories from celebrating #HispanicHeritageMonth, and how USD116 is showing up for its Latinx students and families year-round.
To start off, in your own words, what is National Hispanic Heritage (or Latinx Heritage) Month all about?
It is an annual celebration of the culture, contributions, histories, and traditions of Americans who come from Mexico, Spain, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is observed from September 15 to October 15.
Do you have any fond memories of celebrating this month yourself?
Yes. During one of my first years as a bilingual teacher at Leal Elementary, I had my classes host a cultural museum for the entire school to tour. Each class was assigned a special project. This included research projects about important Latinos of their choosing then sharing their research through a wax museum and making traditional Puerto Rican vejigante masks. We would periodically stop the museum to play music and parade around in our mask. It was a lot of fun.
How does USD116 typically celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month across the District? With obvious safety precautions in place, how should families look forward to USD116 facilitating celebrations around this month?
This varies by building, but is most prominent in our buildings that host our Spanish dual language programs. We have had assemblies to showcase class projects, student music presentations, and student traditional dance presentations. We had had musicians from the U of I and other organizations come and share Latin music. Buildings have also included information about the celebration in their announcements. Teachers include activities incorporated into their lessons. During our remote learning, we plan to continue many of the same activities but in a virtual manner. We are adding in weekly read-alouds to be shared with our District this year as well.
Speaking of celebrations, of course this month is all about celebrating the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. What are some ways USD116 actually does this for these students year round?
One of the many great things about USD116 is the diversity. I feel that as a District our goal is that this is incorporated into our buildings in all facets. We are always looking for ways to be culturally responsive with our curriculum materials. We focus on ensuring that our students feel welcomed and represented in their schools through our family engagement events and District initiatives.
In the midst of this celebration, how would you encourage non-latino students, teachers, and families to support their latin-american counterparts?
I think that first and foremost I would encourage them to get to know them. The histories that all of our families bring to our school district is extremely rich.
Moving past this celebratory month, showing up for different populations in our community is extremely important and something USD116 takes pride in. How is The District showing up for Latin-American families across The District on a daily basis, not just during this month?
I feel that all of our staff across our District do a great job advocating for our families and help to ensure that they are aware of the opportunities available to students and families. Additionally, have Family Liaisons across the District to help support families and students in French and Spanish as well.
Lastly, how would you encourage other community members to show up in the same way year-round?
I would encourage the community to learn more about issues that impact our Latino students and families, such as immigration rights, DACA, detention centers, and how to support our local unaccompanied minors. We have many local community organizations that directly provide support and resources, in addition to USD116, that are always looking for assistance.
Want to know what USD116 has planned for #HispanicHeritageMonth? Take a look at this calendar for virtual events. Don’t forget to follow USD116 on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram! #UrbanaBetterTogether