Latin Night Honors Hispanic Heritage Month

Break the Bubble is a relatively new community service group that was formed in order to raise awareness on news-worthy topics from around the world. Students work closely with faculty members to organize cultural events on campus, to inform the community on current events happening around the world, and to gain an understanding of the varying backgrounds of the members of the Millbrook community.

 

One of the ways this group of students recently recognized and promoted cultural diversity on campus was by organizing a Latin Night. They planned an entire evening of events for the entire school - a Latin food truck, Latin dance lessons, a movie, and arts and crafts. All of this supported their ultimate goal of honoring Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from September 15 to October 15.

 

Hundreds of students came to the event, which took place in the Holbrook Arts Center and the parking lot on the east side of the building. There a food truck served authentic tastes of Latin America including burritos, tacos, quesadillas, fried plantains, and churros. When students weren’t eating they joined a dance instructor from Argentina to learn the cha-cha or the salsa. Spontaneous dancing was highly encouraged! Inside, students had the option of watching the movie Coco, creating their own glow necklaces, or coloring Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) skulls in preparation for that celebration the following weekend.

 

Students who participate in the Break the Bubble community service enjoy planning these elaborate events, but they also focus on sharing announcements with the school community. They create weekly padlets—an online virtual “bulletin” board—to highlight news and important events from around the world.

 

New to the service this year, Bizzy Katz ’21 shares, “We’re in our own bubble here at Millbrook, so our padlets feature sports, economics, culture, and more from different news sources and different countries. We make announcements and create videos too.”

 

This is their opportunity to both serve the community and learn about world events and culture. Getting involved in planning activities is also giving them practice with organization and communication skills as they have been coordinating their efforts with other departments like the dining hall and the Activities community service group.