Fronteras celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with 2 days of celebration and dance

National Hispanic Heritage Month is annually celebrated from September 15 to October 15 in the United States as a way to recognize the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans to the history, culture, and achievements of the United States.

As the only Spanish Immersion School in the Mat-Su Borough, Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School took time to honor the Heritage Month with two days of celebration last week.

The school divided the student body between kindergarten through third grade, and fourth through eighth grade, giving each group time to shine in the celebrations.

“Our two-day Hispanic Heritage Celebration is a beautiful experience. It is impossible to understand the amount of time and energy that this celebration requires, unless you are in the thick of it. Thankfully, we are a school whose amazing families do not hesitate to offer their time and talents when needed,” said Principal Jennifer Schmidt-Hutchins of all of the hard work the students, staff and families put in to the show. “For an entire month, our staff is tasked with balancing the regular school day with Heritage studies, practices, and activities.”

Each grade was assigned a country to represent, and students would not only learn a dance from their country, but would also build a monument that represented their country that would be on display in the hallways, learn the costume and help create it

“Once each country’s monument is built and displayed in our halls, our school buzzes with excitement. There are daily ¿Sabias Que¿ trivia questions to answer, piñatas to win, and restaurant quality potlucks to enjoy.”

The students’ hard work paid off as the students took to the stage, first parading the flag of their country, then later displaying the dances they learned for the hundreds of family, friends, and community members in attendance.

“It was amazing,” said Becca Moore, whose daughter Cora performed Friday morning. “All of their presentations were so well done. The outfits and the music, just the whole presentation has been so fun.” She said that she, along with other families, helped with the outfits the students wore and spent time helping students learn their steps.

“Between the teachers and the students and the families, hundreds of hours were spent to put this on, which is just incredible.”

For Hutchins-Schmidt, the event was an unexpected emotional culmination of the work her students and staff did together.

“Seeing Kindergarten through eighth-grade students pair up to present the 21 Spanish country flags creates a wave of emotion you don’t expect. After all the practice sessions are over and traditional clothes are fitted, it’s a proud moment when the students take center stage to perform for family and friends.”

Teachers could be seen high in the bleachers helping guide the students through the moves in case they forgot. Students could be seen sneaking in a wave to their families, and more than a few proud parents capturing the moments in a sea of cellphones.

“If staff and students working with moms, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles, doesn’t create a wonderful sense of community, then I don’t know what does.” That sense of community shone through during one particular highlight was when a student, Shane, got a little overwhelmed by the size of the audience while he was getting ready to carry a flag. The audience came to his side, helping him find the bravery to go out on the stage.

“I am so grateful for all of the support Fronteras receives from our families and community members! We are truly a fortunate school!”