- May 23, 2025
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Best friends since kindergarten, second-graders Eliora Ross and Maya Holloway decorate bookmarks together while talking about the Hispanic figures they studied: Jose Feliciano and Cesar Chavez.
Pre-kindergartner David Bracho, 3, smiles while holding the sombrero he made and shaking his maraca as he waits for his 7-year-old brother, Hector, a second-grader, to finish making a Bibliburro.
Third-grader Ana Marina makes a maraca out of plastic spoons and a purple plastic egg filled with rice.
Fifth-grader Kylie Henrich puts glue on a white pom pom ball to stick on her sombrero, which was made with blue and white pom pom balls and an orange cup for the Florida Gators because she likes the team.
Jasmine Bigos' drawing of actress Zoe Saldana, who is Dominican, is on display during Hispanic Heritage Night. Each class was tasked with learning about different prominent Hispanic figures.
Second-grader Blake Swann, 7, places his hand-made sombrero on his head. Swann had so much fun at last year's Hispanic Heritage Night, he wanted to come back for more this year.
Third-grader Cayleigh Greer weaves bands in order of the rainbow on a small loom because rainbow is her favorite color.
Kindergartner Maxwell Stephenson, right, and his 2-year-old brother Bennett, shake the maracas they made out of plastic spoons and plastic eggs filled with beans.
Kindergartner Max DeGrave focuses on cutting out a donkey to make a Bibliburro, a traveling library that gives out books from the back of donkeys. "This is hard work," DeGrave said.
Pre-kindergartner Emery Ross, 4, weaves bands onto a small loom.
William H. Bashaw Elementary School third-grader Cayleigh Greer carefully put a pink band onto a small square loom at the weaving table while sharing what she learned about Sonia Sotomayor.
Sotomayor, a jurist who serves as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the U.S., was one of the prominent Hispanic and Latino figures students learned about to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
"I learned (from Sotomayor) I could dream big," said Greer, who is 8.
During Hispanic Heritage Night Sept. 25, students displayed the projects they worked on to commemorate Hispanic figures. They made maracas, sombreros, Biblioburros and bookmarks. They also enjoyed foods from different Hispanic countries.
With Bashaw Elementary's student population approximately 50% Hispanic, ESOL resource teacher Mariela Carrillo said the night was an opportunity for students to embrace Hispanic culture.
"It gave families the opportunity to volunteer in their kids' school," Carrillo said. "I think it's really important to show these kids the importance of embracing their culture, and not just them, but just show all our students the importance of why we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month."
