Keeping Culture Close
Dancers from the Tonalli Danza Folklórica group perform at the Hispanic Heritage Festival on Oct. 4. The performance is a staple of the festival and a large part of the appeal for potential attendees. “My favorite thing was the performances, especially the dancers,” Senior Alexandra Emiliano said. “I have a lot of fun seeing what people come up with.”
Social Media Coordinator Onyx Mills hears from CCHS staff and students who attended the Hispanic Heritage Festival on why they think it is important to have events that focus on representation.
A night of sound and color, the Hispanic Heritage Festival is a staple event in the Clarke Central High School community. On Oct. 4, CCHS hosted the Hispanic Heritage Festival, one of the many ways it celebrates the many cultures of its student body.
Multi-classroom leader Brad Williford has attended the festival for two years and recognizes the event’s importance. During the event, there were many activities and forms of entertainment, from dancers to food vendors to organizations.
“I think it's important for (CCHS) to be open to the community and to have things (events) where community members can come to the school (and) families of students (and staff) can come to the school,” Williford said.
CCHS has various ways to represent its student body, from this festival to the Black History Month Showcase. With such a diverse student body, many students greatly emphasize their cultural heritage, like senior Yoandys Padron-Leon, who attended the event.
“As a person born and raised in Cuba, I always carry my heritage and my culture with me,” Padron-Leon said. “I always inform and teach others if they want to know more about the history or culture of my country.”
For Padron-Leon, this festival brought together not only people with Hispanic heritage but also Athens-Clarke County community members. It served as a celebration of heritage and a way for people to learn more about other cultures.
“I think (the festival) is very important because it shows people more about others’ cultures, which I think the Hispanic Heritage Festival really does a good job of highlighting,” Alexandra Emiliano, senior and performer at the event, said.
The Hispanic Heritage Festival has earned its place as a highlight of the CCHS community since its reestablishment in 2023. Whether attending for the food or the dancers, the importance of these events is beyond a night to hang out with friends and family; it is a blend of languages, art, music, food, and most importantly for senior Renzo Villavicenio-Acosta, the community.
“It could be a good opportunity for students to express themselves and participate,” Villavicenio-Acosta said. “A way I celebrate my heritage is by trying to learn as much as I can about it and simply embracing it as a part of who I am. It’s really important to have these kinds of events because they not only give us a chance to honor our culture but also share it with others.”
Story by Onyx Mills
Onyx Mills is a senior at Clarke Central Highschool in Athens, GA, and is the Social Media Coordinator for the iliad Literary-Art Magazine. Fascinated by the potentials of social media, they are excited to connect with students and grow the outreach of the magazine. Mills has been published and recognized for their writing, and hopes to further explore photojournalism as the year progresses.