A representation of national flags in the Wakeland High School cafeteria is just one way WHS welcomes students of all backgrounds. This week, Wakeland welcomes a new club for Hispanic or Latino students called “HOLA”, which stands for Hispanic Organization for Latino Advancement.
This club invites Hispanic or Latino students to come to the first meeting on October 18th, the second half of Power Lunch. This club will cover units over popular culture such as music, dance, actors, singers, and more, to spread awareness and connect these students and hopefully help them feel more represented.
The founders of the club hope to create a community so they can feel represented and have people from different areas of Latino origins, share their customs and traditions. Leyla Moreno and Eva Nieves are the founders of this new club and agree that through units talking about popular culture, the club can connect the younger modern views and compare them to history and changes of the Latino community. The club will create presentations, talking about their history, and trying new foods. So far, the club creators have planned out a topic to focus on for each meeting. They will also provide either traditional and popular foods from their cultures.
“It adds onto the more diverse clubs because we don’t have, at least at Wakeland, many clubs that bring representation to a certain community,” said Leyla. “So, it’s important for a people of same/similar backgrounds to come together and share there differences and similarities.”
The group hopes to bring knowledge and awareness through their curriculum of units. “We hope this club can bring more appreciation for this culture, so by teaching about things such as popular culture these students can feel more connected and represented.”
People of all cultures (not just those that identify Hispanic or Latino) agree that it is extremely important for people to feel like they belong in a group, which is why the Frisco Independent School District’s improvement plan outlines rules student clubs promoting connectedness. The club founders created the club by first acquiring permission from Wakeland administration and finding a host teacher, Mrs. Brady.
At the time of the founding of the club, it was too late in the year to add a club to the official club roster. However, the group has permission to meet and function just like an official club despite not being on the Wakeland roster. Encouraged, the founders reached out to Mrs. Brady, a Spanish teacher from Puerto Rico known to her students as Señora Brady. Señora Brady often teaches about Hispanic figures and heritage, so she was happy to provide her classroom as a place for the club to meet. Other teachers of Hispanic background have expressed their support along with Señora Brady.
The host teacher Señora Brady, explains why she believes in the club. “For the kids who are Hispanic or Latino it can teach them about their culture and their heritage and for the kids who aren’t of a Hispanic background they can learn and appreciate the Hispanic culture.”
Everyone young and old, can come together through their culture, “We hope,” said Leyla “to bring everyone together through our club.”
A note about Associated Press (AP) Style:
It’s important to note that although the terms “Latino,” and “Latinx” are becoming more common, especially among younger demographics, some people prefer “Hispanic,” and it’s acceptable to use an individual’s preferred term when known. The Associated Press style still recommends “Latino” as the default.