Celebrating Mexican Independence Day at Telpochcalli Elementary School

Telpochalli Elementary School has an amazing tradition to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. Every year, the entire school community comes together to participate in the traditional Danza del Sol to highlight its culture and heritage. Students also take part in a parade around the school, and everyone enjoys paletas together at the end. 

This event highlights the hard work of the entire Telpochalli community in fostering cultural pride and student achievement. We connected with Rihanna, a seventh-grade student at Telpochcalli, to learn more about how this event has helped her start the school year on a high note. 

How has the school year been going so far for you? 

I’ve been liking it a lot. I am learning about a lot of new topics, and the work hasn’t been too hard so far. The only part that I’m not excited about is that it might get a little stressful, just because this year is very important in terms of your grades mattering for high school. 

What are your favorite parts of being a student at Telpochalli? 

I like how we are always learning a lot of different things. I also like that it’s a bilingual school and that we talk in both English and Spanish. The murals and different paintings on the wall are really nice to see. I always like walking down the hallway because of them. Our school also has a lot of fun events and celebrations, such as our big celebration for Mexican Independence Day. 

How do you like to celebrate Mexican Independence Day and Hispanic Heritage Month? 

My family likes to cook and make Mexican dishes. We have parties and participate in a parade. We march with flags and even put little flags in our car. 

What did you enjoy most about the Mexican Independence Day celebration and Danza del Sol at your school? 

I loved seeing the eighth-graders giving a speech with their band and their flags. I also got to participate myself by playing the drums. It was fun to see the younger students marching around the building and wearing the little hats they made. I had such a good time with my friends celebrating, eating paletas, and just being together as a community.