Did you know that the United States has the second most Spanish speakers of any country, second only to Mexico? Or that a medieval Spanish dialect known today as Judeo-Spanish, or Ladino, is spoken in Turkey and Israel? How about that Spanish is spoken on all five continents (most of South America, large parts of North America, Spain in Europe, Equatorial Guinea and Morocco in Africa and the Philippines in Asia)? Those were some of the exciting facts we learned as we explored the Hispanic Heritage of the whole planet.
In our Hispanic Heritage Month assembly, our students got the chance to show off what they'd learned and come together in a spirit of togetherness. Mr. JP, who has his roots in French-speaking Haiti, spoke about what the day meant for him, as did our special guest, a Brazilian percussionist. We watched a speech by President Obama and videos by Latin-American celebrities, reminding us that Hispanic Heritage isn't merely a foreign concept about places exotic and far away, but a valuable part of the fabric of American society.