The MHS Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, founded by Brock Wrisberg, senior, will be recognizing National Hispanic Heritage Month by creating an art piece to be hung in the World Languages hallway. The creation will be a set of wings with the flags of various Hispanic countries attached to it.

“Our hope is that this embraces the diversity of the Hispanic countries that are represented with National Hispanic Heritage Month,” Wrisberg said.

From Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, National Hispanic Heritage Month recognizes Hispanic and Latino Americans’ history, culture and contributions to the U.S.

The Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica will also help the library with Hispanic Heritage Month decorations like posters, Wrisberg said.

Hispanic Heritage is celebrated around the St. Louis area with events like the Hispanic Festival in Soulard, Missouri. The event, which ran from Sept. 22-24, featured authentic food vendors, Latino bands, folkloric dancers and Hispanic crafts to raise money for scholarships given to college-bound students and underprivileged children.

The festival also presented the first Hispanic Heritage Flag with colors representing the earth, water, mountains, family and sacrifices that connect the Hispanic countries.

Monica Bremer, Spanish teacher, has a close connection with National Hispanic Heritage Month. 

Bremer grew up in Panama and moved to the U.S. as a teenager to get her master’s degree in education from Lindenwood University. 

“I come from a very small country where there is an abundance of nature, and here you have that too, so I felt right at home,” Bremer said.

Although she adjusted well to the community, one of the surprises she experienced when she moved here was the lack of public transportation.

“I used to ask ‘Where is the bus station?’ or ‘Where is your bus stop?’ and they’d say that there’s no bus station in St. Charles, and I couldn’t believe it,” Bremer said.

One thing she misses about Panama, Bremer said, is the Caribbean-Latin culture of the country.

“We are very happy people that celebrate everything and anything,” Bremer said.

Bremer said she teaches about Hispanic culture to her students throughout the year. For October, her classes will celebrate famous Hispanic figures and Día de los Muertos.

“Recognizing and making a space to discuss the importance of diversity in the world and how we are all different, I feel is important,” Bremer said.

Despite the relative diversity of the MHS community, Bremer said there is still distance between the community and other cultures, so it is important to celebrate events like National Hispanic Heritage Month.

“I feel that in some ways, because we are in the middle of the state and so far from the borders, we become very immersed in our own reality,” Bremer said.

Laura Sanchez Perez, sophomore, connects with her Hispanic heritage by visiting her family in Mexico every year during the summer. 

“I go see my grandparents, and I have cousins, a bunch of cousins, because it’s a Hispanic family so it’s pretty large,” Sanchez Perez said.

Sanchez Perez said her parents moved to the U.S. around 20 years ago to provide a better life for themselves and their families.

“My mom worked from a very young age, so she wanted to move to America to get as much money as possible so her parents could have a better life too,” Sanchez Perez said.

Despite the long distance between her and the rest of her family, Sanchez Perez said she still feels close to her Mexican heritage. 

Each November, she and her family set up an ofrenda, an altar built to honor lost loved ones, to celebrate Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). She said they place pictures of their ancestors and their favorite food items on the ofrenda.

“We have this huge gathering at my house, and we have a ton of family members from different sides of the family visit and talk about different memories that we have of people who passed away,” Sanchez Perez said.

Another connection to her heritage, she said, is her parent’s work ethic. Sanchez Perez said her parents started working at 12 years old and still work long hours to provide for their family. 

“It has set that example for me and the rest of my siblings to be very hardworking,” Sanchez Perez said.