Mount Kisco Elementary Students Enjoy Hispanic Heritage Month Walkathon

After a few delays due to rain, Mount Kisco Elementary School got a beautiful day to celebrate its third annual Hispanic Heritage Month Walkathon. Students were bursting with energy and enthusiasm as they walked across the street to the field where joyful Latin music greeted them.

For the next forty minutes or so, students walked laps around the field, collecting stamps for different countries in their “passport” books as they visited different stations. Each station had a poster depicting different aspects of Hispanic culture, including different countries, holidays, music and food.

“I like that it kind of looks like a real passport, and it feels like we’re actually going somewhere!” Susan Morales said.

Her peer, Berta Morales Mejia, noted that they got to learn new things from the posters — and that they featured some familiar things too.

“My family likes to eat empanadas, plátanos and tamales,” she said proudly, explaining that her family comes from Guatemala and El Salvador.

Other students were excited to share information that they’ve learned throughout the month so far. Dennis was excited to have learned about Diego Rivera, while Cesar mentioned Frida Kahlo and Celia Cruz.

“They started Hispanic Heritage Month in 1968,” said Nolan.

“It used to be one week until they turned it into a whole month,” Austin added.

Their knowledge and enthusiasm about Hispanic Heritage Month should come as no surprise.

“Our students are immersed in biculturalism from the get-go, with Hispanic History Month happening so close to the beginning of the school year,” said Multicultural Committee co-chair and bilingual Speech and Language Specialist Wendyliza Gonzalez. “Our teachers have made it a priority to highlight and embrace this celebration.”

Created by the Multicultural Committee, this year’s walkathon raised an astounding $5,607.25. Of that money, $1,803.25 will go to the Mount Kisco Elementary School Association and $1,001 will be gifted to the fifth-grade class.

“The Multicultural Committee raises money throughout the school year to fund a variety of bicultural endeavors, including sponsoring students with extracurricular activities, cultural beautification building projects and dual language school assemblies,” said Multicultural Committee fundraising chair Leigh Viviano, who is a learning specialist at MKES.

Second grader Renata Folgar Marcos raised the most money this year and will be Principal for the Day on October 8. Renata will make the morning announcements, attend a few classroom walk-throughs and more.

As with most successful endeavors, it took a village to host such a fantastic event.

“The Multicultural Committee is stronger than ever, thanks to the unrelenting support from our staff, community members, and students,” said Multicultural Committee co-chair and bilingual tiered teacher Joanna Breeding.