Prosperity, Power and Progress: ACPS Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month!

National Hispanic Heritage Month is observed every year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 to celebrate the culture, history and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from the Caribbean and Central and South America, Mexico and Spain. The National Council of Hispanic Employment Program Managers set the 2023 theme for National Hispanic Heritage Month as “Latinos: Driving Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America.”

Initially observed in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson, National Hispanic Heritage Month was expanded to cover a 30-day period by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. The celebration begins mid-month because Sept. 15 marks the independence anniversary of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, followed by Mexico's Independence Day on Sept. 16 and Chile's on Sept. 18.

Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is excited to celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month in various ways:

• Teachers of Hispanic descent at James K. Polk Elementary School will share aspects of their heritage by highlighting their culture, family, background or favorite things during social, emotional, academic learning (SEAL) time with all students.
• Jefferson-Houston PreK-8 IB School will include facts about Hispanic Americans during school announcements throughout the month. In October, the entire school will compete in a trivia contest covering the facts from the school announcements.
• Several Hispanic Heritage activities are planned at Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School, including a bilingual video highlighting the school’s Hispanic students and why they love school to promote Attendance Awareness Month. In addition, art lessons that cover monarch butterflies and their migration to Mexico will be connected to National Hispanic Heritage Month.