On October 9, Diversity Among Peers (D.A.P.), the Spanish Club, and the Spanish Honor Society hosted the annual Delbarton Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration. Under the leadership of Tony Fajardo and Miguel Ruiz, and working in conjunction with Univisión, students, parents, the Spanish Club co-moderators Mr. Paris and Ms. Lopez-Holder, and the D.A.P co-moderators Mr. Negrin and Ms. Gomez, the event was a major success and allowed students to celebrate the rich heritage of Latin America. The popular event brought the Delbarton community together in a unique way, especially given the restrictions and challenges with communal gatherings this year. 

The event included a panel discussion, organized by Tony Fajardo, Hayden Kim, Lemachi Enweremadu and Michael Ruiz, where students, teachers, and parents, explored Hispanic heritage at Delbarton and in the United States today. The panel allowed members of the Delbarton community to share their experiences and thoughts in an engaging and meaningful discussion.

The night also featured food trucks and live music broadcasts from the Univisión radio station, La X 96.3 – El Ritmo de New York. Three different trucks each provided empanadas, cubanos and tacos, all of which were favorites among the attendees. In the Senior Garden, families helped to set up stations where attendees could learn about the culture of various Hispanic countries. 

This year, the event also featured a new Copa América inspired soccer tournament. The tournament included ten teams, each representing a different Latin American country. With the help of Mr. Negrin, Ryan Johnson, Michael Loughrey, and myself, the tournament was a great success. Every student who participated received a team jersey to wear while playing, and all of the semi-finalists took home a commemorative soccer ball provided by Univisión. The participants were also able to play with and against their friends, while enjoying the other activities during the celebration. In an exciting final, Argentina narrowly defeated Ecuador to win the tournament. The members of the champoinship team:  Drew Ardise, Connor Kim, Michael Lougrhey, Ikenna Amadi, Preston Lee, and Colin Ardise—will all have their names inscribed on a trophy, which will be displayed at school.

The celebration also displayed colorful decorations from Will Ritter, Ms. Lopez-Holder and the Delbarton Artists’ Collective. Will and the Artists’ collective helped design paper flags for the third floor of Trinity and decorated a mural in the parking lot by the gym. Ms. Lopez-Holder also provided the amazing jerseys for the tournament and contributed many of Old Main’s decorations. Thus, the event perfectly combined fun activities and entertainment with opportunities to learn about Hispanic heritage and culture.