On Wednesday high school students, teachers and staff at the Mesquite campus of Legacy Preparatory Charter Academy made decorations and practiced dance routines for their big festival on Thursday.
It's the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, and the 15th also marks the anniversary of independence day for several Latin American countries and El Grito de la Independencia, which leads into Independence Day for Mexico, which is on Sept. 16.
This is the first year the school is putting on a big festival.
"80% of our students, are Hispanic, or from Hispanic places, and it's very important for them to not lose that connection that they have to have to their origins," said the principal, Javier Chaparro.
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He said they're excited to have their first celebration of this size, where they'll have a mariachi band, Hispanic food, games, horses and dancing.
"We like to show other people our culture and teach them and let them know our culture has many different things that we can do and show," said Naidelyn Sanchez,17, who is a senior and plans to become a nurse one day.
"We're still so different and diverse in our culture, so that's why it's important to me and and as a counselor and teacher I want my kids and the students to see that to learn from that and be proud of who they are," said Cassandra Lopez, who is a teacher and counselor.
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Some students and teachers will perform folkloric dances. Meanwhile, others will help with décor, including a class that spent Wednesday making 'papel picado' the colorful paper cutouts that hang as banners.
"Like I tell my students, you become more worldly the more you know about other people and other cultures. The more you're able to interact with people, the better you are as a person," said Jocelyn Cardenas, who teaches world history, psychology and sociology at the high school."The United States is a melting pot overall, so being able to celebrate cultures like the Hispanic Heritage Month is important for our students who are Hispanic and non-Hispanic to be able to embrace different cultures and understand where we all come from and how that plays into the great scheme of things," said Cardenas who teaches about the Aztecs, Mayans and how their impact in history translates to the now.
The festival at the high school parking lot on Thursday, Sept. 15 starts at 6 p.m. and ends at 8:30 p.m. It's $2 for students and $3 for parents.
