The first month of the new school year offers a chance for students of all backgrounds to join together to honor and celebrate the vibrant Hispanic culture at West. Hispanic Heritage month is observed from September 15 through October 15th, a month dedicated to cultural celebration and appreciation. Festivals, parades, and concerts are just some of the fun-filled activities held to honor and represent the flourishing culture nationwide. In addition to an exciting roster of events, the observation helps people understand the importance of other cultures, traditions, and languages that don’t receive adequate representation.

CAPP Spanish teacher and club leader, Jennifer Olivares, believes that connecting with other cultures is an integral part of creating community.

“It’s important for everyone to recognize that we come from different backgrounds. We have a very large Hispanic population in the United States, so just having a better understanding of the cultural relevance,” she said. “Just the idea of wanting to embrace and get to know people on a different level, whether it’s Hispanic Heritage Month or Black History Month.”

For Olivares, Hispanic culture helps both students and the world at large to understand the importance of community and learning about new cultures. Members of Spanish Club take a deep dive into Hispanic culture beyond just Spain or Mexico. This exploration helps students and the community to broaden their horizons with new foods, music, and traditions. Throughout the year, Spanish Club listens to music, celebrates Hispanic traditions such as Día de los Muertos (The Day of the Dead), and tries Hispanic foods like churros and mole.

Members of Spanish Club feel that Hispanic Heritage Month serves as a connection to many students' roots, and enjoyed exploring the rich identities of West students.

“It’s powerful to understand where we come from,” Olivares said.

Mr. Hable, the Dean of Students and former Global Academy Spanish teacher, believes that learning about Hispanic cultures fosters a greater global understanding as learning about new cultures helps students and community members learn how to interact and create meaningful connections more often.

“Odds are, at this point, you're probably going to be interacting with somebody with a Hispanic background,” he said, “It doesn’t hurt to have background in another language.”

In the community, there are multiple activities that the city does to celebrate Hispanic culture. A prime example is the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which hosts a cookout almost every year for Hispanic Heritage month. They also have co-sponsorships with the Student Organization of Latinos and the Bilingual Education Department in order to have a successful month of celebrations. At West, not only is the Spanish Club working with Hispanic Heritage, the café is serving the “horchatte,” which is a horchata inspired drink to honor Hispanic Heritage.

Music, an important part of culture, is played in the hallways for students to listen to during passing periods as a way to expose more students to the culture.

Junior Stella Schwersenska understands how important appreciation of other cultures is, and enjoys learning through music.

“I remember freshman year and eighth grade year in my Spanish classes, and I think it was a really fun way to learn,” she said, “We listened to some traditional music and some of the more modern music.”

Hispanic culture helps students, and the world, understand the importance of diverse peers and learning new cultures. Learning and appreciation extends into music, traditions, and all aspects of the modern world. In addition, Hispanic Heritage Month helps to normalize and emphasize the importance of being bilingual in an interconnected society.

Many students like Schwersenska understand that learning a new language opens a world of possibilities.

“It’s really important, especially because our world is so interconnected nowadays,” she said, “We can't just rely on English.”

by Kayden Brandt

Published October 6, 2025

Oshkosh West Index Volume 122 Issue I

Heritage month offers celebration, immersion into cultural arts, traditions