Berkshire Arts & Tech School Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
State Rep. Carlos González speaks with student Gineska Vazquez-Melendez on Friday.
The month, which runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, students in middle and high school learned about aspects of Hispanic culture all culminating in the daylong celebration on Friday.
"I hope that you are taking this month to learn as much as you can about Hispanic culture, language and history and the foods and music, but also to remember that it's not only a month; its a year. It's a life commitment," González said.
"We must learn from each other, and you must learn from others ... in the State House of Representatives, we have so many different individuals that represent ideas, many ideas, many different ideas, many different districts, and they all come with different backgrounds and reasons why they're there. I went there because I wanted to make sure that education was funded appropriately."
González, a Springfield Democrat, represents the 10th Hampden district. Ahead of González's speech the students in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Union presented on his background and mission.
Gonzalez is bilingual and was born in New York to Puerto Rican parents. He has an eclectic background including a career in social work and opening a business, Hispanic Marketing Services, where he published a bilingual newspaper and directed a Spanish-language TV program, the students said.
He marked a lot of firsts during his career, as the first Hispanic aide to the mayor of Springfield and the first Latino from Western Massachusetts to hold a House leadership position after being appointed third division chair in 2025.
During the school visit, González and state Rep. John Barrett III of North Adams toured the school, viewing the art done by the students and the different setups of the classrooms.
González said he was impressed with the students and the school's diversity. Upon walking into the multipurpose room, Hughes 507, he was presented with a room full of excited high school students, experiencing and appreciating Hispanic heritage, including the clothes, music, dancing, food, and more.
"I was excited to see that, and to be honest, I was surprised … what great a education is going on here," he said.
The students were attentive and González said it was powerful and touching to speak with the students and hear how they share the same thoughts he had spoken about.
During his presentation with Gonzalez emphasized the impact of unity and diversity in American society. The foundation of his message is the importance of believing in yourself and the value of education and perseverance.
Everyone, regardless of background, has something special to offer, so embrace your heritage, collaborate with others, and how standing up for your community leads to opportunity and success, he said.
Hearing from the students that shared similar points of view as González demonstrated how "there's hope, there's opportunity, and America will not be lost," he said.
"I think that's one of the most important messages, that they are the future generation. No matter what, where you came from, you're the future in this country, and if we're to succeed as a country, we have to make sure that we embrace them and what they have to do to be our future," Barrett said.
The school's Hispanic Heritage Month celebration fosters discussions not only in the classroom but out in the community, said Mayra Weiskotten, Spanish and student life teacher and coordinator of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
"I'm hoping that the positive information spreads throughout the county. I'm hoping that other schools celebrate, not exactly the same way, but in some capacity, I'm hoping that our community expands and gets stronger," she said.
The learning experience doesn't stop after the event because students will still be talking about it and other teachers may expand on it by doing assignments related to the experience, Weiskotten said.
Having conversations about different heritages is important, both in and out of school, especially with what is going on right now where minorities are being targeted, she said.
"Having conversations like this at home, on the bus, with the teachers, with your neighbor, might make them see a different reality of what immigration really is, what diversity really is, what respecting each other really is, because when you are sharing a moment like the ones we're doing right now hopefully its helping you see something that you have not seen before," Weiskotten said.
The event began in 2011 with a dance workshop for the high school students. This year was the first time it was large-scale, inviting both the high and middle schoolers, in addition to having a dance workshop and contest, a mariachi band, which invited a student to perform the percussion, and a conversation with Gonzalez.
"I think that we've done this before, but this year it's been very receptive with the students. Hopefully with the middle school, we haven't done the trial run, but usually they're like sponges," said Ginerys Vazquez-Melendez, senior.
"They soak up the information they were very engaged throughout the slideshow. They took in information, great, and the trivia questions went great. So, I think that this is going to be a positive thing reflected on our school."
"I feel like with this celebration, people learn to understand the importance of celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month, and it's an important celebration within this school," said Aiko Hosmer, a junior.
Junior Isabella Luna has been in the states for a year, moving to the Berkshires from Peru. She shared part of her heritage with her school by wearing a traditional dress from Peru, which she had also worn as a dancer for the marinera norteña, a traditional dance.
Spanish teacher Joaquin Bernal also shared with some students sombreros vueltiao, a traditional Colombian hat, and the other festive items he brought from Colombia, Weiskotten said.
Several students of all different backgrounds dressed up in the traditional attire to honor Hispanic heritage — wearing it with understanding and pride.
Weiskotten said she teaches her students to embrace who they are, wear cultural clothing with respect, and always treat everyone with dignity.
Tags: BArT, heritage, hispanic,
