by Aidan McGowan
3 October 2018
In order to celebrate the culture of Spanish-speaking countries, O’Connell students of all ages and backgrounds prepare and deliver a Hispanic Heritage Assembly. After second period this past Thursday, the O’Connell student body took a brief break from class to celebrate Hispanic culture. In a presentation on Sept. 27, 2018, students with primarily Hispanic backgrounds called to mind their differences in culture and ethnicity. The assembly included Hispanic flags, songs, guest speakers, games, and of course, fun.
Lots of preparation has gone in to this assembly, dating back to last school year. Ian Alvano, senior at Bishop O’Connell and a leading member of the Hispanic heritage club, remarked, “it is awesome to see all of our hard work enjoyed by the entire school. We have been planning the assembly since the end of the last one, and seeing my senior year assembly be so successful is a blessing and a dream come true. This is definitely something that I will remember for a while and miss when I leave high school.”
Another person pivotal in the delivery of the assembly was Frau Stabile, a french teacher at O’Connell and an adult moderator of the club. When asked how her perspective of Hispanic culture transformed over the years by helping with the assembly, she responded, “the students have really taken ownership of the assembly. In the early years, there was lots of guiding by the teachers, but as we have progressed, the students are learning from each other and previous years.”
The most important thing learned from the assembly was how important it is to integrate culture into daily life. Sra. Rubio, the AP Spanish teacher at O’Connell and cultural savant, was asked how she keeps in mind her Spanish culture in her daily life. “At our home, we eat dinner as a family every evening. In Latin and South America, families eat all together every night, but in America, this rarely happens because of work and other activities. My family makes it a point to eat together every night,” Sra. Rubio replied.
The hispanic Heritage Assembly is one of the most fun assemblies that students look forward to each and every year, and judging by the reactions of the crowd, it did not disappoint.
The Visor 