Last week, Bonneville High School hosted an event for the Spanish-speaking population within the Bonneville Cone to connect as a community, aka Comunidad Conectada.
First was a free dinner from Mi Puebla, with the vintage taco truck up on the curb in front of the school handing out tacos, rice, beans, chips, and salsa. Then, a dance showcase from BHS Latinos in Action club and the TH Bell Latinos in Action club, with music, clapping, and hollering, bouncing around the lower deck commons. Next, a presentation about essential Bonneville information, presented entirely in Spanish by Mr. Ben Whitesides, school counselor, and Mrs. Carmen Vasquez, advocate. To conclude was an open house format with 12 informational booths with a ton of helpful information to help students and families be successful at school or in the community.
For example, visitors could learn information about using PowerSchool, ask questions with a school counselor, get food pantry locations, and find ways to engage in post-high school education. Saray Mattson, who is a CTE administrative assistant at Bonneville High and knows all the things about OTech, DATC, and internships, said, "I received great feedback from the parents I spoke with. Many of them didn’t know that the district covers tuition for the tech colleges, so it turned into a really positive and informative conversation." Bryan Becherini, the director of Assessment, School Improvement, and Research, brought a team and pitched the Seal of Biliteracy. He said, "We loved being part of the event! In that short amount of time, we identified 2 (possibly 3) students who have already qualified for the Seal of Biliteracy! " Ben Whitesides, counselor at BHS, said, "We had (over) 74 people who attended. This is awesome for a first-time event. I believe next year it will double!"
By visiting tables at the open house, visitors completed a Bingo Board for prizes, like a Charcuterie Board set, Stanley Cup, Husky Brand Tools, and food gift cards. The winners were announced to end the evening. As everyone gathered around, the excitement hung in the air as each winner was drawn.
The evening couldn't have been successful without the community support, but also without the team behind the scenes to make it happen. For a Cone-wide event, people with the district and Bonneville High School gathered every other week since late October to plan a meaningful experience. A special shoutout goes to all students within LIA, Latinos in Action, from Bonneville High School, TH Bell Junior High, and South Ogden Junior High.
