In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, the Bob Jones Spanish Club organized a week of activities.

“Initially, we hadn’t even really planned on celebrating Hispanic Heritage Week – most of us didn’t even know that Hispanic Heritage Month, which is nationally recognized, existed. The idea was pitched by our freshman representative, Dani McDowell, and we all kind of fell in love with the idea and ran with it.” says Theresa Andrzejewski, a senior member of the Spanish Club. “The actual planning of the week was certainly a group effort. All the Spanish club officers, the three Spanish teachers, and a handful of Spanish club members met one afternoon and generated almost a full page of ideas. We ended up carving that list of ideas down into a specific, doable agenda for the week, and then we split ourselves up to tackle each event as a small group. We’re lucky that we have been able to cooperate so well – this is our first year celebrating any kind of Spanish/Hispanic week, and there is no way that any one person (teacher or student) could pull this off alone.”

Sra. Castañeda supplied a list of the week’s activities, saying, “Monday’s activity is Sombrero trivia. Around the school you will find little Chihuahuas wearing a sombrero. Each one will have a trivia question. Bring the trivia question along with your answer to one of the Spanish teachers in the upstairs B hall, between classes or at break. If your answer is correct you will receive a prize.   Tuesday’s activity is teach a phrase Tuesday. Spanish students can teach their non-Spanish speaking friends a phrase. If they come and tell a Spanish teacher the phrase they learned, they will receive a prize. Wednesday is Celebrity day. There will be pictures of celebrities around the school.  Repeat the drill, bring the page with the answer to a teacher and get a prize. Thursday is Classroom trivia day. Each block a set of questions will be set out to all. The first class with all of the correct answers will win chips and salsa for the entire class. Friday is Fiesta Friday for the teachers. The Spanish club will provide teacher snacks in the mailroom during each block.”

Some students enjoyed the question posters around the school.

Nathan Siwko, a sophomore says, “I collected nineteen chihuahuas [Monday], and each one has a trivia question that if you answer them, then take them to the Spanish room, you will get a reward.”

Others were less enthusiastic.

Chris Vega, a sophomore who has Hispanic heritage, says that Hispanic Heritage Week didn’t even register. “I didn’t know things were going on this week. Maybe I’ll participate.”

Natalie Eggenberger thinks that it would have helped if Tuesday’s questions were in English and in Spanish so that people who don’t know Spanish could participate. “I tried to answer the questions.” she says.

Other student concerns include “Fiesta Friday.” The banner outside the cafeteria said there would be Fiesta Friday, but what is “Fiesta Friday?” Every day during the announcements Spanish Club would say what would be done that day, but on Friday they didn’t say anything about a fiesta. Theresa Andrzejewski says that “Fiesta Friday is for the teachers for a simple reason: they deserve it. They are a part of what makes Hispanic Heritage week a success.”

Senior Austin Hambley doesn’t agree that it should be for the teachers and says, “It’s not right that the teachers get something that the students don’t and if they are going to celebrate something the whole school should do it.” 

Maybe Spanish Club will modify the activities so there will be even more student participation next year, for the second Hispanic Heritage Week.