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May 15, 2009 - By Lara Veylit
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Cinco de Mayo has historical relevance dating back to 1862. The holiday began when Mexican forces successfully threw off the French who were attempting to colonize Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day but instead a day to celebrate cultural pride.
North attempted to emulate this cultural pride through M.E.Ch.A.'s festival. The celebration occurred for three school days, beginning on Friday, May 1 and ending on Wednesday, May 5. Each day had activities organized and run by students.
On May 1, the DJ Palomo played music for dancing. This day served as a kicking off day for the event. Advisor of M.E.Ch.A. Richard Monguia gave a speech stating that there would be many other events occurring during the next week. Monguia also gave a brief history of Cinco de Mayo to students and highlighted its importance in American as well as Mexican history.
This first day had nearly a quarter of the school present. Many students danced to salsa music or line dances. The event was successful as far as advertising the days of celebration to come.
On May 4, the Cinco de Mayo Queen was crowned. From the 12 candidates who ran for the position there were four winners. The queen was senior Niomi Gomez. Second runner up was senior Heidi Gomez; third runner up, senior Anais Aguilar and fourth runner up senior Miriam Alvarez.
The candidates all had to write an essay, participate in a small fundraiser and participate in a talent show. Alvarez left an impression on senior Marisabel Berrellez who said, “That girl's voice was amazing!†in response to Alvarez's solo of a popular Selena song.
On Cinco de Mayo itself students performed traditional Mexican folk dances. They practiced for weeks learning the complicated native dances.
Monguia stated that although some students had learned these dances in the past, most of the dancers had to learn the dances. Teacher _________Perez helped train students and teach them the traditional dances. This portion of the celebration took the most preparation and care as traditional outfits, including shoes, had to be ordered and used. Obtaining traditional shoes was difficult as an order from Mexico was delayed after the outbreak of N1H1 flu.
This year's group of dancers was the largest yet and Monguia stated that they “exceeded expectations.†Although some dance moves were not mastered even the day before the performance, they were executed well on Cinco de Mayo at the performance.
Berrellez said, “The people that danced were pretty brave,†as the performers danced in front of a large number of students. Monguia also stated the the performers' success not only made M.E.Ch.A. look good but also made all of North look good.
The event was also special as M.E.Ch.A. worked with Spanish Honor Society and the Multi-Cultural Club to make the event possible. The success of this event will serve as a basis for future collaborations with the other clubs.
Monguia stated that he hoped the three clubs could work together more next year as they share common goals and teach the same lessons to students. The clubs will also probably collaborate due to depletion of funds and the continued ambitions of students to organize events such as this celebration.
This festival was a success as it involved such a large number of students and it celebrated a holiday that was culturally diverse. Berrellez stated that she found it enjoyable as it was "nice to acknowledge [my culture] in school.â€
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