Celebrating Latinx/e Heritage Month at Poly

Throughout September and October, Poly is honoring Latinx/e and Hispanic Heritage Month with events across all divisions that highlight the histories, cultures, and contributions of the Latin American community. From classroom learning to live performance, the celebrations reflect Poly’s commitment to intercultural understanding and inclusion.

Lower School
On October 27, the Lower School will host a special assembly featuring the rich tradition of Mariachi music. The program will be led by Poly alum Maya Barajas-Tavera ’17, former director of UCLA’s Mariachi de Uclatlán. Together, they will explore the history and significance of Mariachi while performing with students from Music Teachers Alan Wellman’s and Cheryl Scheidemantle’s classes.

“This summer, I searched for pieces that would be the right level for our Fifth-Grade Strings students,” said Cheryl. “I then wrote them out in a user-friendly key and shared that with Alan. He, in turn, is working with the other half of the fifth graders to teach them the ukulele and mallet instrument parts.” Cheryl also noted that Lower School Spanish Teacher Hernán Serruya will teach K–5 students the Spanish lyrics so they can sing along.

Middle School
The Middle School launched its celebration on September 19 with an announcement in Morning Meeting featuring Estamos Unidos parent leader Lillian Rivera P ’27 ’32. Lillian spoke about the importance of Latinx Heritage Month and the diverse terms used to describe the Latinx diaspora.

Sixth graders also participated in a FLEx unit designed to expand their understanding of Latinx/e history and culture. The month-long unit included multiple rotations that focused on topics that spanned Mayan codices, Latin music, the 1968 East LA student movements, and diversity within the Latinx/e community. Each workshop offered students hands-on opportunities to learn and discuss key aspects of Latinx/e identity and contributions.

Upper School
The student group Latines Unides is organizing a Latinx/e and Hispanic heritage celebration on October 17 themed “Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future,” led by faculty advisor Alex Jimenez and student leaders Allison N. ’26, Alejandro K.-R.’26, and Danny L. ‘26. It will start with a short assembly where members of Latines Unides will share family stories of resilience, reflect on current events, share a performance, and introduce different cultural booths. The group will then invite students to venture into McWilliams Courtyard and the sophomore patio where they will have a chance to try culinary offerings from different Latin American countries, including Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Argentina, El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador, and Panama. Students and faculty have worked hard to share the meaningful ways that food reflects Latine communities’ continued resilience in the face of challenges, and represent historic and contemporary ways of coming together to affirm the beauty of Latine culture.

Together, these events across our three divisions underscore Poly’s dedication to celebrating diversity and fostering a community where every student’s background is honored. Through education supplemented with music, language, and food, Latinx/e and Hispanic Heritage Month at Poly offers impactful ways for our community to connect with culture and one another.