On Thursday, March 21, 2024, Fillmore High School students were treated to the musical sounds of cumbia and boleros by Grammy award winning Mexican-American band La Santa Cecilia in celebration of “World Down Syndrome Day” and “Dia Del Campesino.” Above is Councilmember Christina Villaseñor, Commissioner Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez, FHS student Emi Martinez, his mom, Ana Cardenas, Field Representative Manuel Minjares, and Special Education Teacher Mr. Rockney, who came out for the fun. Photo courtesy Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez.

On Thursday, March 21, 2024, Fillmore High School students hosted Grammy award winning Mexican-American band La Santa Cecilia in celebration of “World Down Syndrome Day” and “Dia Del Campesino.” Above are students and staff dancing and enjoying the music. Photo courtesy Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez.

By Nancy Rodriguez Hernandez

On Thursday, March 21, Fillmore High School students were treated to the musical sounds of cumbia and boleros by Grammy award winning Mexican-American band La Santa Cecilia, all in celebration of “World Down Syndrome Day” and “Dia Del Campesino.”

This celebration brought together students, staff, city officials, and the perfect combination of history, culture, inclusion, and diversity through the power of song; Mr. Herrera, who teaches Spanish and forms part of the musical group “Hermanos Herrera,” has been very successful at using every opportunity to incorporate music into his lessons making the learning experience in his classroom an enjoyable one. La Santa Cecilia, a band that represents US bicultural identity, has a unique sound that captures their Latin American influences and Mexican heritage, music that resonates with many Fillmore students from all walks of life.

World Down Syndrome Day has been celebrated on this day every year since 2012, this year’s theme is End the Stereotypes. Mr. Rockney, a Special Education teacher at FHS, believes “students with Down Syndrome have hopes, dreams, and challenges much like any other child their age. They have a deep desire to connect with their peers and to engage in meaningful friendships. They want to show their teachers and friends what they know and what they can do.”

Supervisor Kelly Long, who had field representative Manuel Minjares present the band with a certificate of recognition, was honored to have her office present at the event, not only to celebrate Dia del Campesino “a day where we honor the immeasurable contributions from farm workers in our community,” but also to “recognize World Down Syndrome Day which seeks to bring awareness to the challenges faced by the Down Syndrome community and create change to improve their quality of life.”

Dia Del Campesino, or Farmworkers’ Day, is a celebration that was created by the Spanish Department this year. Mr. Luis Herrera and his team decided that with Cesar Chavez Day around the corner on March 31, it would be appropriate to focus on the significance of all farmworkers/campesinos as a whole. Mr. Herrera believes that “it’s important to recognize the history of struggle of campesinos and spotlight their importance within our community and society. Campesinos feed America, and their arduous work is often overlooked and dismissed.”

Councilmember Christina Villasenor, who acknowledged the band with a certificate of recognition from the City of Fillmore, is glad to see Fillmore High School students taking a moment “to show gratitude for our campesinos and celebrate them in our community.” She also agrees with Mr. Herrera, and believes farmworkers are “the backbone to our local economy, the backbone of our families and cultural fabric of our community, instilling the values of hope and hard work, perseverance and pride, strength and unity in all of us.”

Mr. Herrera has ten more musical events lined up for FHS this year, which also includes a week-long celebration for Cinco de Mayo; all festivities will have live music, including the school’s very own Mariachi Los Rayos and Johnny Tapia, who Mr. Herrera believes will be selling out arenas in the near future!

Community members and local businesses have jumped at the opportunity to support these FHS events, so a big thank you goes to Cultura Imports, Daniel’s Gourmet Foods, Lemon Tree Embroidery, Electric Remedy, Radio Lazer, The Candy Bar, La Fondita Restaurant, La Michoacana Bakery, Erika Sandoval, and Hermanos Herrera!

If any community member or local business would like to support any Fillmore High School events, please contact Mr. Luis Herrera via email at lherrera@fillmoreusd.org or through Instagram @hermanosherrera.