Festive music, rich Latin dishes and excitement filled the MLK room with members of all backgrounds of the Brookline community on the evening of Oct. 19 to celebrate the ending of Hispanic Heritage Month.

Several events and initiatives were part of the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the high school, which began on Sept. 15. Other events and activities included a display of Hispanic and Latino authors, productions, music and movies in the library, and an initiative to have Latin dance classes taught throughout the month.

Click here to listen to the music.

According to Spanish teacher Marta Fuertes, the major event on Oct. 19 was in celebration of Hispanic and Latinx students in the school.

“We are trying to do something to make our Hispanic population at the school more visible and celebrate their culture,” Fuertes said.

Gallery • 6 Photos

Spanish teachers Pedro Mendez and Kristina Tobey and ACE Social Studies teacher Juliette Rorie attended the event.

CONTRIBUTED BY PATRICIA SILVA-GAYLE

According to senior Ana Merida, the event was a great way for her to celebrate her Guatemalan culture with friends and family.

“My family contributed to the event by bringing food. It is traditional food from Guatemala, which I love. It’s interesting and fun to be able to see friends and family at an event sharing a cultural event,” Merida said.

Junior Alexis Raitt said she saw the event as a great way to celebrate Hispanic culture.

“I thought it would be cool to immerse myself within the Spanish culture at BHS. I thought it would be fun to come hear some Spanish music and eat spanish food,” Raitt explained.

Throughout the night, a festive mood continued. The band Ten Tumbao played many songs as people gleefully sang along, ate delicious food and cheered on the many who danced.

According to Fuertes, in the future she hopes the school and the community is able to do more around Hispanic Heritage Month.

“So far, we have done small things, but as we soon get a group and organize we will probably be able to do more things in the future, in the coming years, because we would like to be able to do more,” Fuertes said.