An Arizona College Prep High School student named Sebastian plays a traditional song on a horn at the Sept. 10 Chandler Unified Governing Board meeting. The performance was part of a student presentation recognizing Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.
Each cohort of Chandler Unified’s Latino students seems to enjoy presenting its own Hispanic Heritage Month showcase in the fall.
That certainly seemed to be the case Sept. 10 when a group presented music, poetry and other cultural displays at a CUSD Governing Board meeting.
Hamilton High School senior Helen Fernandez made introductions for the presentation about the month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, saying it’s a special time to honor traditions and people with ties to Latin America, which is nearly one-third of CUSD students.
According to a CUSD staff report, the 2025 National Hispanic Heritage Month theme is “Collective Heritage: Honoring the Past, Inspiring the Future.”
Dozens of students handed out flags of Latin American nations to the board, staff and the audience.
In keeping with CUSD’s “Portrait of a Learner,” which is meant to foster empathy, respect and understanding among all students, Fernandez said it’s a goal to enrich themselves as global citizens and learn from each other.
A horn performance by a student named Sebastian of Arizona College Prep High School was followed by a team reading of the poem La muralla (The Wall), written by Cuban poet Nicolas Guillen in the 1930s.
“Our passion is our heritage,” Hernandez concluded after the reading. “Our heritage is our future. Gracias.”
Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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