Every year, HMSA has its annual Multicultural celebration. This is a time where different cultures from all around the world are represented and celebrated. Multicultural includes months of effort from students, staff, the spanish department, and parents.

The Spanish department teachers, Ms. Mendoza, Ms. Garcia, Ms. Bravo, and especially Ms. Jordan, began planning the event much earlier than the set date on May 26. All Spanish teachers gave their students the option to either be involved in the show, create an artwork, or a create a presentation board to be displayed at Multicultural.

The day before Multicultural, Thursday, May 25, was scheduled for a rehearsal of the show. The day was set in activity day schedule to leave about two hours at the end of the day. This was done so that students and staff who couldn’t go on Friday, could still watch and enjoy the show.  Thursday was a quick run of the performances and the fashion show to make sure everything is planned accordingly. At the end of the main show, HMSA’s students and staff received a surprise speech from Mr. Aguilar, a board member for the Hawthorne School District, for being #51 in the nation according to TheBestSchools.org. Only on Thursday, the Banda la Maravillosa performed for our HMSA guests. Students had an amazing time dancing to Banda music and enjoying the live music.

Friday, May 26 was the official day of Multicultural, where friends and family were invited to see what HMSA put together. The event started at 6:00 p.m., but some parents began to donate food/ beverages for the event at around 5:30 p.m.. Ms. Mendoza’s AP Spanish students organized the entire cafeteria to accommodate all the donated food that was received. The donations variated from many different cultures and places of origin. On the blacktop, there was 25 pieces of artwork made by students that were displayed. There was different types of work such as, Don Quijote, The Maya, El Grito, and Mediterranean Landscape. There was also presentation booths made by students that were displayed for everyone to enjoy. The booths varied in topics, but they all taught parents and students about many cultural traditions. In total, there was fourteen booths such as, booths on Horchata, Quinceaneras, Flores de Japon, Ethiopia, Philippines, etc. All attendees ate food and viewed presentations from 6-7 p.m. before the show started.

After eating food, looking around at the decorations, booths, and artwork, people began to find their way towards the seats. Once everyone was settled in, the show began. We were first introduced to our amazing M.C.’s for the night: Sophomore Raymond P. and Seniors Dane O. and Jesse C.. They were the announcers for the entire evening, starting off with the fashion show. The fashion show was an opportunity in which students were able to represent any culture they desired. Like every year, we had a variety of cultures represented. The fashion show started off with Mexico, which included outfits for folklorico and mariachi. Our very own Ms. Vazquez participated in the fashion show representing Mexico. Next, we went on with Guatemala, Belize, Native America, and Hawaii. Then, we continued to countries in South Asia. Students represented Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Following South Asia, came the Philippines, China, and Germany. Last but not least, we had African countries represented. We had Algeria, Sudan, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Ethiopia shown in wardrobe.

The last segment of the entire event were the performances. First up, was the Evolution of Music in the United States which included dancing and singing. Our very own, Mr. Dura and Ms. Zepeda, danced the night away with a 1950’s dance. We also had another dance that was inspired by the musical “Grease” and another on the Michael Jackson song “Thriller.” Our students also sang songs by the Beatles and a song in the “Grease” soundtrack. Lastly for the Evolution of Music, we had some students portray the iconic Madonna with her famous song “Vogue.” After the Evolution of Music, we had our first Theatre and Film Club Poetry Slam performance. Next up, a French song was sung by Junior Jaylen M. After, the dance group, Los Inocentes, gave the audience a wonderful Bachata dance. Next up was a group put together by Ms. Zepeda with her and three parent volunteers known as Las Cuatro Jarochas, who performed a dance from Mexico. Then, a group known as Las Flores sang a Selena Quintanilla song. Following after, was a Tahitian dance, then the Maglalatik dance put together by Ms. Latigay. Afterward, there was three more dances. The first was Samoan, then the Kalahi Folkloric Dancers put together by Ms. Latigay, and the Tinikling Dances 1 and 2 put together by Ms. Bayani. The night continued with three more dances. First, was a Shakira dance to the song “Hips Don’t Lie.” Second, was a dance from Nepal called “The Nepali Princess.” Lastly, a group called The Riyaaz, performed a Bollywood dance.

At the end of the night, there was a finale in which all the performers came on stage with posters. The posters had a word describing who the person identified as. In the end, the performers turned the poster to the back in which all the posters read out “Human.” Also, flowers were given to Ms. Jordan and the teachers in the Spanish department for their hard work and dedication putting this wonderful event together. Recognition was also given to all the people who helped put together Multicultural.

We can proudly say that Multicultural was a success like every year. Special thanks to Ms. Jordan, Ms. Garcia, Ms. Bravo, and Ms. Mendoza for making this year truly memorable. Sadly, this was the last Multicultural for our Seniors. For the rest, until next year and hopefully next year will be the same or even better than this year.