Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month celebrates and recognizes the contributions Hispanic Americans have made to American society and culture.

Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated each year from September 15 to October 15. It began as a week-long celebration in 1968 under President Johnson and was expanded to a month by President Reagan 20 years later in 1988. The month-long celebration provides more time to properly recognize the significant contributions Hispanic/Latino Americans have made in the United States.

Hispanic Heritage Month does not cover one single month but instead begins in the middle of September and ends in the middle of October. The timeframe is significant because many Central American countries celebrate their independence days within these dates, beginning on September 15 with Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. By aligning with these independence dates, Hispanic Heritage Month honors the resilience and determination of the Hispanic community.

TOHS and our local Conejo community have a variety of resources for members of the Hispanic Community. You'll find more information about them below, along with a collection of interesting websites to help bring awareness to Hispanic Heritage Month.

The Lancer Library has a variety of books available for our Lancers to read in connection to Hispanic Heritage Month. Come on in to browse the display and check one out!

Click here to access a curated list of the titles you see in the photo below. You'll need to log into Alexandria to view the list. Students, use your ID number for username, and last name (lower case) for password.

• Latino Connection Club: this club meets on Wednesdays at lunch time in I-8. You can email Mrs. Martinez-Galvan at smartinez@conejusd.org or stop by her room (I-8). Everyone who would like to learn more about Latino culture is welcome to join this club.

• Latino Youth Leadership Group: this group will be accepting applications soon and is limited to 30 students. Just as the name suggests, it's a group dedicated to leadership and service to Latino students and their families. For more information, contact Ms. Martinez-Galvan at smartinez@conejoud.org or stop by her room (I-8).

• School Counselor: Ms. Montero is our bilingual counselor who works with our EL students. You can email her at pmontero@conejousd.org.

• Bilingual Facilitator: Mr. Solorio is our bilingual facilitator. He can answer your questions about TOHS and get you connected with the right person/office. He works with our EL students providing support where needed. His email is fsolorio@conejousd.org.

This organization began with a desire to address concerns within the Conejo Valley Spanish speaking community regarding opportunities and services offered to our children in the local public schools. Spanish speaking families, regardless of immigration status, fluency, or income, benefit from having a clear voice in our community. Adelante Comunidad Conejo is working to build a strong voice for Latino families here in the Conejo Valley.

The mission of the Lancer Library is to ensure that members of our school community are effective users of ideas and information. Furthermore, the Lancer Library strives to provide and maintain up-to-date materials and an environment conducive to learning.

Contact: sarahburns@conejousd.org