On Nov. 17, the Hispanic/Latin Heritage Club, Pasion Latino, Fashion Club and Tech Crew will host the Hispanic/Latin Cultural Assembly for over 3,000 students and staff, aiming to promote the vibrant and diverse aspects of Hispanic/Latin cultures.

This year’s assembly marks a return of a cherished tradition, resuming after a pause in previous years due to the Covid pandemic. The Hispanic/Latin Heritage Club’s officers – seniors Juanita Barrera, Luis Andres Munoz, Franca Ramos and junior Jacobo Gutierrez – along with their sponsor, ESOL teacher Anne Marie Foerster Luu, have been instrumental in reigniting the passion for this event. Together, they have worked to not only kickstart the assembly preparations but also to encourage other student groups to get involved.

“There is a lot of preparation that is behind the scenes and in person. We invited people to participate, asked them what they wanted to do and asked other clubs to get involved,” Foerster Luu said. “We did a lot of organizing and planning through our group chat. We organized the stage clothes, flags, and music [and] have people working on the handout and the slides that will be displayed on the stage.”

Over the past two weeks, the Hispanic/Latin Heritage Club has been meeting at lunch and after school to plan and prepare presentations for the upcoming assembly. Senior Luis Andres Munoz is in charge of directing performers into their roles and managing the timing of each assembly segment.

The assembly itself will present a diverse lineup of performances and educational segments, including a soccer skit, dancing, poetry, information about history and influential people and live music. Student groups like Pasion Latino, Fashion Club and Tech Crew will help with performances, stage design and backstage support.

Fashion Club President junior Marissa Campos is leading her club to set up and decorate the auditorium stage. “We have been finding decorations and supplies that will truly bring the assembly to life. We really want to have the stage embrace the Latino/Hispanic culture,” Campos said.

The students involved in preparing for the assembly are looking forward to presenting their practiced performances to the school.

“There’s going to be a lot of fun, a lot of music, and a lot of family, which is something so important for Latinos,” Munoz said. “I think there isn’t anything big like this at school to show Latino culture to the school, so it’s exciting to show our culture to the school,” Munoz said.