FITCHBURG — The energy in the high school gymnasium reached epic proportions on Tuesday afternoon during the 7th annual Hispanic Heritage Assembly, a celebration highlighting the rich history, traditions, and contributions of Hispanic culture.
“Buenas tardes, how are we doing?” longtime Fitchburg High School (FHS) World Language Spanish Teacher and Latin American Club Advisor Aury Rivera greeted everyone in the packed gym at the Oct. 21 program. “We are so excited to have you here as we come together to celebrate the Hispanic heritage family.”
Students from all grades participated and showcased their heritage, a record number of 45 young women and men this year including freshman new to it. Countries and territories proudly represented by them included Chile, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Peru, Puerto Rico, Spain, and Uruguay.
“This year has been a blessing…so many students,” Rivera said just ahead of the festive affair kicking off that included several high-octane performances featuring traditional dances and music such as Bomba y Plena, Merengue, Salsa, and Bachata.
She emceed the event, announcing all of the performances and sharing that the whole program was entirely student led.
“Everything you see has been created, prepared, and presented by our students — decorations, music choice, everything,” she said, adding before it started that the students did all the backstage work, created the beautiful and colorful 3D backdrop, and came up with all the costumes and choreography. “We have a deep appreciation for culture and student leadership.”
The Hispanic Heritage Assembly always coincides with the timing of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated annually from September 15 through October 14. Holding the assembly in the gym enabled the entire student body to attend this time, 1,400 students versus 700 in the auditorium where it has been held up previously, and district administration and FHS teachers and staff were also there cheering the performers on.
It was a flurry of activity leading up to the start of the program, with students practicing their dance numbers and Rivera and others helping to keep things running smoothly while her son Juan Rivera Jr., a senior, recorded everything. The ladies featured in it all wore gorgeous costumes relevant to what country or territory they were representing along with accessories and some of the gentlemen wore hats to complete their fits.
After a fashion show featuring colorful traditional outfits, FHS student Diego Barahona, who has Puerto Rican and EL Salvadorian ancestry in his blood, began the performances with a traditional indigenous dance. Bomba y Playa — “two different types of Puerto Rican percussion-driven music and dance with distinct origins and characteristics,” Rivera shared — was featured next.
One of the dance groups had 14 members, 13 ladies and one gentleman, all freshman except for one senior and the young women wore long, billowy red skirts, white shirts, and red flowers behind one ear. As each performance started there were loud cheers and people clapped along to the music during many of the songs.
Rivera shared that when she was a student at FHS after moving to the city from Puerto Rico when she was younger, she herself was a member of the Latin American Club
“To see it grow and to see that the students can share who they are and share their little bit of their culture means a lot,” she said.
Rivera recognized the Latina and Latino students of the year — Dayamie Rosado Cruz and Guillermos Alvez Lazo, respectively — and fellow FHS educator Aracelis Abreu, who teaches math and works with English language learners and was presented with the Latinos For Education 2025 SHINE Award at a school committee meeting in September.
Rivera also called up Carlos Garcia, another an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher at FHS who founded the Latin American Club 30 years ago in 1995. She said that while Garcia, who is retiring at the end of this school year, is her mentor he will “always [be] my teacher.”
The final dance number had a surprise element to it. FHS English teacher Bryan Lombardi was requested by the program participants to be the one to don a Bad Bunny head and dance with them, which drew raucous laughter and loud applause from the audience members.
“It was such a good turnout,” Rivera said following the high-spirited special event.
