Under the direction of Superintendent of Schools, Dr.
Michael Morris and Director of Family and Student Engagement, Dr. Marta Guevara
and in keeping with the Social Justice Commitment of the Amherst-Pelham
Regional Public Schools, the 11th Annual Latino Achievement Night aspires
toward equity in opportunity, inclusion, respect and community-building in and
out of the classroom. All families, friends, staff and community members are
invited to attend.
The Latino Achievement Night was envisioned over 12 years
ago by the members of the Latino Student Achievement Initiative. This group,
comprised of district students, staff and community members, came together to
explore ways to increase the academic achievement of students of Latino
heritage. A series of recommendations was formulated to address this critical
issue and strengthen the district’s’ efforts to support at-promise students. A
resulting step was the creation of a community event celebrating the
achievements of Latino Students paralleling the customs of Latin American
countries.
All students of Latino heritage will be celebrated in this
event and those in transition
years (K, 6, 8 and 12) will be highlighted for their
academic achievement, leadership,
community spirit, progress and/or effort. The evening’s
program will include spoken
word, music and dance presentations by students and staff of
the Amherst/Pelham
Elementary Schools and the Amherst-Pelham Regional
Middle/High School. In
addition, ARHS Seniors will be presented with a traditional
graduation stole to be worn
over their robes at the graduation ceremony in June.
The evening’s featured speaker will be Dr. Carmen Cosme. Dr.
Cosme obtained her PhD
in Hispanic Languages and Linguistics from the Dept. of
Languages, Literatures and
Cultures at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and is
currently the VELA
after-school program coordinator in our Middle School.
Please contact Mildred Martinez at 413 362-1871 with any
questions or concerns.
