Chapel Hill Junior High celebrates Hispanic heritage with annual event
Published 5:35 am Saturday, October 10, 2026
Chapel Hill Junior High School hosted its second annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration Thursday evening, bringing students, families and community members together to celebrate Hispanic culture through food, vendors and student performances.
The event featured nearly 26 vendors offering everything from food and jewelry to community resources.
Elvia Mojarro, administrative assistant to the principal and bookkeeper at the school, organized the event by reaching out to local businesses and vendors to invite them to share their products, services and interests with the community.
“We have a little bit of everything,” Mojarro said. “We appreciate those who wanted to not only showcase their business but support Hispanic Heritage Month here.”
Observed annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. The month also provides an opportunity to celebrate the diversity of Hispanic communities and the traditions passed down through generations.
For Mojarro, the celebration carries personal significance. She moved to East Texas from California when she was 6 and said she has seen the area’s Hispanic population grow over the years. She wants students to feel that their backgrounds are recognized and valued, including those whose countries of origin may be less represented in the community.
Mojarro said she has encouraged students from countries including Honduras and Venezuela to take pride in where they come from and recognize the importance of their cultures.
“We’re a big melting pot here in Chapel Hill,” Mojarro said. “It is largely Hispanic, but I personally feel accepted by everyone here.”
Amid ongoing national conversations surrounding immigration and Hispanic identity, Mojarro said she wants students to understand the importance of being engaged, contributing members of their communities and to feel a sense of belonging regardless of their backgrounds.
“I try my hardest to put that into my students every day,” she said. “We immigrated here to be good citizens … to make it better.”
For Griselda Viramontes, whose child is an eighth grader at the school, the celebration offered an opportunity to enjoy Hispanic traditions, food and music. Although it was her first year at the school, she said she appreciated the school’s emphasis on Hispanic heritage.
“We love that the school has the heritage spirit because it’s very important for us, for the Hispanic people, because it’s a connection of where we’re from,” Viramontes said. “We have roots that we are proud of.”
Viramontes said maintaining a connection to those roots helps families remember where they come from and preserve traditions passed down by parents and other relatives.
One of her favorite traditions is Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, which honors deceased family members.
“Because we remember the family members that had gone, and that’s very important, and I love this tradition for me,” she said.
Mojarro hopes the celebration encourages people to look beyond headlines and get to know members of their community rather than make assumptions about them.
“Encounter one of us and say, ‘You know what, that person isn’t that bad,’” Mojarro said. “So, give us a chance. That’s all I ask.”
She hopes students and families leave the event feeling recognized and proud of their heritage.
“I hope they take away from this event to be proud of where they come from and feel represented, because we all want to feel like we matter,” Mojarro said. “So, I really hope everyone is proud of where they come from and just be better people and citizens all around.”
