Latino students recognized for their achivements

Latino students who had a GPA of 3.0 or above were recognized with awards in the cafeteria on the evening of May 1. Parents and family members were welcomed with food and refreshments as they watched their hardworking students receive honorary certificates.

Principal Mary Ann Valles and Spanish teacher Thelma Mooney created Latino Achievement Night last year and decided to make it an annual event. With the help of a committee and others from the community, the event was a success.

The night included Aztec dancing, recognition to an outstanding community member, a speech from CVHS Alumni Bianca Arias, and dancing from the campus group Mujeres.

Students from grades nine through 12 were awarded with a certificate celebrating their achievement.

“It felt great to walk across the stage and receive an award. I’m doing well and while I do it for myself, it’s nice to see that the school recognizes my achievement,” says senior Raquel Huerta.

Parents filled the cafeteria excitedly waiting for the moment their student would cross the stage to receive their award.

Superintendent of Castro Valley Unified School District Jim Negri attended the event and stated, “This is an event that honors students. Any time you can recognize a student for his or her achievement you absolutely should. I totally support this event and what Mrs. Valles is doing. I like supporting academic events because I think its easy to go to sport events but when it’s about learning, that’s where I come in.”

Counselor Connie Iglesias and Spanish teacher Becky Maciel handed each award personally to each student. The night ended with a dance by the Mujeres group.

Overall, the night seemed to be successful, filled with loud applause, food, music, and proud parents. The annual event’s purpose is to celebrate the achievement of the students and to motivate them to do better not only for the school, but also for themselves.