For the last three weeks, BVH’s Spanish Honor Society (SHS) has brought Hispanic Heritage Month–which takes place from September 15 through October 15–to life through daily morning announcements. Each message shares a story of an influential Hispanic figure, read by members of the club over the Public Address (PA) system. Their goal is simple but powerful. They made efforts in promoting cultural awareness and celebrating the diversity within the BVH community. Junior Eugenia Lee, secretary of the SHS, explains how the initiative first began.
“Our advisor texted me saying that she wanted to start these announcements. She delegated these responsibilities to the officers and some members of the club,” Lee stated.
Lee and others stepped up to deliver the announcements. The process gave students a sense of ownership and pride in what they were producing, especially knowing that their voices were being heard schoolwide. “It was nice knowing that everyone heard it because I feel like people do not really listen to the announcements. Then a lot of people said they heard me talking and I thought it was kind of cool that everyone got to hear it,” said Lee.
For Lee, hearing her own voice broadcast was a reminder of how powerful communication can be. Her message reached more students than expected, showing the real impact of a simple morning announcement. It was not just about reading a script, it was about representing culture and connecting with classmates on a meaningful level. Junior William Tobitt also played an important role in the project. As one of the announcers, he wanted the messages to be engaging and relatable to BVH students.
“We wanted to include people that the [students at] Bonita could relate to. For example, I [chose to talk about] Manny Machado, which a lot of people can connect to because he is currently playing for the Padres. I think it is important to find people that are relevant in today’s society to make people more interested in hearing from them,” Tobitt stated.
Tobitt’s approach reflected the club’s goal of connecting culture with everyday life. The announcements became not just educational but also entertaining. When describing the challenges [they faced with] the project, Tobitt admitted that presenting over the school intercom was a new experience for many students.
“It was a little nerve-wracking when we were told on a short notice that we were going to be doing the announcements. Speaking in front of the entire school, even indirectly, was kind of nerve-wracking, but overall it was fine,” Tobitt said.
Despite the nerves, Tobitt and other members pushed through to deliver their messages with confidence. Their dedication reflected the club’s commitment to honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. The project not only challenged members to step outside their comfort zones but also encouraged them to take pride in sharing stories that matter. Co-president Andrew Maywood shared how the idea for the PA announcements came to life.
“We felt that in the last couple years, especially since I have been in high school, our club has been lacking in efforts to promote the Hispanic community at our school. We felt that it was a great time to do it with Hispanic Heritage Month,” Maywood said.
For Maywood and the SHS officers, the project represented a fresh start for the club. In previous years,SHS had been quieter on campus. The timing aligned perfectly with Hispanic Heritage Month, creating a sense of purpose behind their work. Maywood explains that the project was originally meant to be short-term.
“Originally, it was going to be only a couple days during the start of the month. Then it became3 weeks,” Maywood stated.
The SHS’s efforts allowed students to hear stories that represented their heritage, and others were able to learn more about the Hispanic community’s contributions. Looking ahead, Maywood hopes the project will inspire even more collaboration and community involvement.
“I think doing the PA announcement was a good starting point, because we are interested in doing more community outreach now. We want to diversify because, in the previous two years, we did not do that much activity. Now that we have officers that are all juniors and honestly a big group in our club now, we hope to be doing more stuff and collaborating with other clubs on campus,” Maywood said.
