The Varnett Public School will commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month Friday, October 11, when students will dress in Hispanic attire and be joined by family members for lunch.
On the menu for most students will be beef tacos, black beans, lettuce and tomatoes, fruit and milk. The lunches at all three campuses will be held 10:35 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“We take this opportunity to celebrate diversity in America – and in our own school district – and acknowledge the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to America,” said East Campus Director Gayle Voltz. “We look forward to our families coming to Varnett to take part in this special event.”
Staff and students already have decorated the hallways with posters honoring Hispanic and Latino Americans who have made key contributions to the United States. They also posted paper flags representing the various Spanish-speaking countries.
In September 1968, Congress authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to proclaim National Hispanic Heritage Week, observed during the week that included Sept. 15 and Sept. 16. The observance was expanded in 1989 by Congress to a month long celebration (Sept. 15 through Oct. 15). It is a time when the United States celebrates the culture and traditions of those who trace their roots to Spain, Mexico and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central or South America and the Caribbean.
As of July 1, 2012, the Hispanic population of the United States was about 53 million, making people of Hispanic origin the nation’s largest ethnic or racial minority at 17 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. On Sept. 13, President Obama issued a proclamation on National Hispanic Heritage Month 2013.