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Bonsall HS and Sullivan collaborate for Cultural Night

Joe Naiman

Village News Reporter

Bonsall High School and Sullivan Middle School collaborated for a Cultural Night celebration May 11 at the multipurpose room of the two schools which share a campus.

“It was an incredible night,” said Bonsall Unified School District community liaison Leonor Gutierrez-Rodriguez. “It was a dream come true for all our Spanish-speaking students and parents to demonstrate their culture.”

Through oral and visual presentations 21 Hispanic cultures were represented. The cultures do not align with national boundaries but included Mexico, Central America, South America, and Gulf of Mexico islands. More than 100 students participated in dances, poems, booths, and other oral or visual presentations.

Gutierrez-Rodriguez was one of the organizers, and she assisted teachers and students with customs and various details. Parent volunteers also helped organize the event as did Bonsall and Sullivan Spanish and English Language Development teachers. BUSD superintendent Joseph Clevenger provided a speech.

Cultural Night was created with the idea of bringing staff, students, and parents together to enjoy dances and visual presentations which celebrate cultures in Hispanic communities. Preparation for the event took approximately three months; students met and practiced dances and poetry during their lunch breaks while also learning about different Hispanic cultures and creating posters and videos. The dance team practiced weekly during their lunch break.

This year’s Cultural Night was the first for Bonsall and Sullivan, and the goal is to continue it as an annual event. The organizers also desire to make the event more culturally broad with dances from all over the world being performed and stories, customs, traditions, and food from all over the world being shared.

“I’m very grateful to be part of Bonsall Unified School District and to represent our district, and I’m proud of all of our students and teachers,” Gutierrez-Rodriguez said.

 

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