Parents joined students Wednesday for a festive celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs each year from September 15 through October 15.
The event took place after lunch in the Southwest Campus cafeteria, where students in colorful garb danced to music and recited poetry in front of an enthusiastic audience.
The recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month is in keeping with Varnett's mission to celebrate diversity as it is reflected by students at the district's three campuses. National Hispanic Heritage Month was established as a way to preserve, enhance and promulgate Hispanic culture and languages inherited from Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Chile and other Central and South American countries.
"Thanks to all of the parents who participated in the event," said Adiela Lopez, assistant director of the Houston charter school's Southwest Campus.
According to the National Endowment for the Humanities website, the term Hispanic, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau, refers to Spanish-speaking people in the United States of any race. On the 2010 Census form, people of Spanish/Hispanic/Latino origin could identify themselves as Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, or "other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino." More than 50.5 million people identified themselves as Hispanic or Latino on the 2010 Census, making Hispanics a significant cultural presence in the United States.
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