The community is invited to attend this free event: the 9th Annual Latino Achievement Awards Night, Friday, May 15, 2015 at 6:30 p.m. at Amherst Regional Middle School Auditorium.
We would love for you to come to this year's celebration. Please bring your friends and families.
Amherst, Pelham and Regional Public School students of Latino heritage in Kindergarten, Grade 6, Grade 8 and Grade 12 will be honored for accomplishments in academics, leadership and community service. In addition, ARHS Seniors will receive a traditional stole to wear over their graduation robes. The program will include spoken word, music and dance presentations by Grupo Folclorico Tradiciones and elementary students.
The evening’s featured speaker will be Bryan Torres who escaped a life of danger and struggle in El Salvador as a young boy and survived the difficult and harrowing journey through Guatemala and Mexico to the United States. He eventually settled in Northampton, learned English and worked as an undocumented immigrant. Mr. Torres graduated from Holyoke Community College and is currently a student at Amherst College.
Background:
Latino students represent the largest identified group in our schools, yet their academic performance, as a group, lags behind most others. A look at student demographics in the state and local communities shows that Latino students are also the only growing group in our schools. With this growth comes a wonderful richness in culture, traditions and contributions to our communities and the reality of people from many countries and walks of life. The growth also poses a great opportunity for us to improve the support we provide for students with limited or interrupted schooling, English Language Learners, undocumented families and many fleeing from war-torn and trauma-filled pasts.