On Saturday, Oct. 14, Squalicum High School hosted Hispanic Heritage Night, an event designed to honor and celebrate those of Hispanic heritage.

The event opened with the national anthem sung in Spanish and a land acknowledgement. Then, student Sadie Wilson took the stage to recite a poem called “Afro-Latina,” which talked about how elements of Black and Latine cultures have blended and interacted in their life.

Then, a guest speaker spoke about their moving experiences as someone with immigrant parents and as someone who worked with migrants for quite a long time. They urged people to work towards inclusivity.

“The work we do today is going to create that better future for for generations to follow,” they said.

Afterwards, the crowd split up to go get food from the buffet of Hispanic food available at the event while live music played on stage. During the meal, a pageant showing off beautiful hand-crafted dresses was held, some of which were used later on in the night.

Hispanic Heritage Night had such a large turnout that they ran out of food for guests, however anyone who didn’t have the chance to snag a meal would have been thoroughly distracted by the post-meal performances. First, the event organizers held a raffle for gift cards, and then the true fun could begin.

The ending performances consisted of four dances and one song. Three of the dances involved dresses that had been displayed earlier during the pageant and were cultural, while one was a more modern-style dance. The singular song performed was a rap, which garnered much applause and the lead performer even left the stage to high-five some audience members.

The night was high in enjoyment where most attendees left smiling.