Hispanic Parents Booster Club at Arcadia High School Is Expanding
Hurra a los Hispanos (“Hurray Hispanics!”)! At Arcadia High School (AHS), the Hispanic Parents Booster Club (HPBC) has made a sensational resurgence after years of being under the radar. This 2018-2019 school year, the Arcadia High HPBC has the greatest number of members involved than its prior years and is on its way to its strongest year yet.
“The HPBC's goal is to assist parents as they support their children in school and their education and to develop a community among families,” said AHS Assistant Principal John Finn, who is a distinguished collaborator of the club and a guest speaker during meetings.
AHS Assistant Principal Finn talking during a HPBC meeting
The HPBC currently consists of leaders Monica Carrasco (President), Paty Garcini (Vice-President), Sandra Sevilla (Public Relations), Monica Bayona (Treasurer), and Damaris Rangel (Secretary), all of whom are collectively backed by the active participation of all of the booster club’s constituents and supporters.
Damaris Rangel, Paty Garcini, Monica Carrasco, Sandra Sevilla, Monica Bayona (left to right)
All members of the Arcadia Unified School District and Arcadia community, Spanish speakers and non-Spanish speakers alike, are welcomed and encouraged to attend the HPBC’s monthly meetings where important subjects, such as information on how to thrive in high school and the challenges high school life may pose, college advice, academic success, and opportunities for both students and parents, to name a few, are discussed in depth.
“It doesn’t matter what countries people are from or what heritage they have. What matters is that we want to give everyone the information necessary so that they can push forth in life and shine,” explained AHS Assistant Principal Finn during the first HPBC meeting of the 2018-2019 school year on Nov. 13.
The HPBC is hoping to expand its horizons and have its message reach out to as many people in the community as possible. Members of the HPBC have organized various events, such as a winter holiday reunion hosted at Arcadia High’s Apache Cafe, where families had the chance to socialize while eating delicious Hispanic dishes and desserts, and are planning on announcing more events throughout the upcoming months.
Some food served at the HPBC’s winter holiday reunion.
“This booster club gives parents the chance to share their ideas and talk to other parents, and it gives students the opportunity to find ways to share the Hispanic culture while helping them achieve their full potential,” says Adriana Valencia, a member of the HPBC.
HPBC members getting hot cocoa to complement their food.
During a recent meeting, HPBC President Carrasco shared, “Hispanics—and all people really—are strong on their own. However, if we’re all together as a group, we are unstoppable.”
The next meeting will be held on March 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Arcadia High’s Multi-Purpose Room. The doors will be open for anyone who wants to attend. The HPBC is on its way to blooming into a grand tree, rich with many fruits to offer the community and whose foundation is deeply rooted in the community itself.