In Lockport, students of all cultures are welcome and celebrated. Since the school is split into two campuses, Central Campus and East Campus, consisting of solely freshmans and East campus, it allows the celebration to expand even further. Recently, the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration ended, but Lockport made sure to commemorate the culture in every aspect. So how did Lockport show their appreciation to the Hispanic community?
At Central Campus, different posters were hung throughout all floors of the building to show respect to those of Hispanic heritage. The celebration was also discussed in Spanish classes, with teachers giving lessons on locations where Hispanic heritage came from, as well as learning about different cultural identifications within the Hispanic community. The decor paired with the in-class discussions and lessons created a welcoming environment for Hispanics; however, this is just one building’s way of celebrating, so how was the month celebrated at East Campus?
According to East Campus Spanish teacher Andrea Quintanar, students in Spanish Heritage 2 classes researched Central America. Students also shared different Latin American foods as well as created a parade with cardboard cars decorated to represent different Latin American countries. Later that afternoon, students carried the flags of different Hispanic countries to celebrate independence amongst the Latin American regions. The Interact Club decorated the hallways to commemorate Hispanic countries as well as raised money through the Powder Puff game concessions that was later donated to Joliet’s Spanish Community Center.
Due to the huge influx of individuals from Hispanic countries, especially Venezuela and Mexico, the Hispanic population has drastically increased throughout the United States. However, Lockport has received an exponential influx of Hispanic families recently, resulting in an increase of Hispanic students in both campuses. Staff and students alike made it a priority to welcome those of Hispanic culture and honor them as true members of the Lockport community.
