Students Celebrate Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month

This year our students celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month by investigating a myriad of Hispanic and Latinx scholars, writers, and activists. In the first half of the month, students explored fifteen impactful individuals and events,  selected by the Inclusivity Leadership Team (ILT).
For the second half of the month, each grade considered what was missing from the ILT’s list of topics and created their own topics for the rest of the School to explore. "7th graders learned about representation in young adult literature by learning about Sandra Cisneros and her book, The House on Mango Street," Grade 7 Homeroom teacher, Guida Mattison, explained, "We want students to see how underrepresented youth can find that representation in literature." Cisneros' novel is a staple of Chicano Literature, as it documents the trials and tribulations of a young Mexican-American girl who finds solace and power in writing. Students learned about the semi-autobiographical nature of the book and discussed the importance of representation through writing.
 
In Grade 6 students looked at the monumental, yet often overshadowed civil rights case, Mendez v. Westminster. This case, which preceded Brown v. Board of Education by almost eight years, allowed for a third grader named Sylvia Mendez to attend a California public school which was for "whites only." Students watched a video and discussed education as an inalienable right, and for many Grade 6 students, this was their first look into the middle school humanities curriculum, which is centered on civil rights and objectivity. 
 
Turning their investigation skyward, Grade 8 students learned about Scarlin Hernandez, a Hispanic American scientist who was born in the Dominican Republic. Today she is a NASA engineer working on the James Webb telescope, a powerful instrument, larger than the Hubble Telescope, that will peer deep into space. Grade 8 students learned about Hernandez’s struggles pursuing a career in science as a Hispanic American woman. Students discussed how marginalized groups feel pressure to ignore science based careers and the impact that can have on progress as a whole.
 
This all-school activity provided students, employees and families with meaningful opportunities to learn more about a variety of people, events, and movements impacting United States history, and helped to ignite curiosity and further inquiry for all our students into the impact the Hispanic and Latinx community has on all of us.
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Concord, MA 01742
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Situated on a beautiful 30-acre campus in historic Concord, Massachusetts, Nashoba Brooks School enrolls all genders in Preschool through Grade 3, and students identifying as girls in Grades 4 through 8. Nashoba Brooks is an independent school designed to build community, character, and confidence in its students.
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