Schools
Austin ISD - Announcement: Austin ISD Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month
Sounds of Spanish horns and guitar erupted at the AISD Performing Arts Center Austin ISD's Hispanic Heritage Month Virtual Kick-off Cele ...
September 14, 2021
By Jack Orloff
Find out what's happening in Austinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Sounds of Spanish horns and guitar erupted at the AISD Performing Arts Center Austin ISD's Hispanic Heritage Month Virtual Kick-off Celebration on Monday.
"For many of our students, families, and staff, the Spanish language is an important part of Hispanic heritage," said David Kauffman, executive director of multilingual education. "More than 22,000 of our students identify Spanish as the primary language spoken at home, and we want to celebrate their culture."
Find out what's happening in Austinfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The virtual Kick-off celebration featured speakers and performances including Mia Garcia, a former Lamar Middle School student who won Best New Female Artist Award at the Tejano Music Awards in 2018, Ballet Folklorico de Texas, Guateque Son, and Lamar Middle Schools' Classical Guitar Ensemble.
"We know we are stronger and better because of the influence of Hispanic leaders, past and present," Elizalde said. "Many of these leaders are the namesakes of schools throughout our district.”
Elizalde said about 55% of Austin ISD’s students are Hispanic.
“They contribute in many different ways to the richness and diversity of our district,” she said. “They are our future leaders. Some may even have schools named after them in the future.”
Hispanic Heritage Month runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The district will celebrate by hosting a Proud To Be Hispanic virtual talent show. Austin ISD students can submit their artwork or music and dance performances via the Educa Austin Facebook page. The students with the highest number of positive reactions will receive more than $2,000 in prizes.
Winners will be announced at the virtual award ceremony on Oct. 27th.
For more information on the virtual talent show and how you can participate, please visit the Educa Austin Facebook page. Submission period is from September 15 to October 15 via bit.ly/TalentoAISD21. Accepted submissions will be posted on facebook.com/EducaAustin.
This press release was produced by Austin ISD - Announcement. The views expressed here are the author’s own.
