After a long hiatus, CHS’ Spanish Club made a comeback during the fall of 2017. The club had been active many years ago, but eventually faded away. It was only until a handful of Spanish teachers on campus, led by Ms. Suarez, decided to work together and revive the club that it resumed its activity. During the 2017-2018 school year, Spanish Club’s first year officially back in business, club officers worked on promoting the club, helping Spanish classes with their Día de los Muertos projects, and assisting in starting up CHS’ first Culture Festival. Almost three years later, Spanish Club now continues to provide a space in which students are free to explore Spanish culture and its relevance to Southern California and more specifically to CHS’ student body.

Students have often witnessed Spanish Club members distributing pan dulce, a traditional Mexican pastry, during the Dia de los Muertos season or selling hot chocolate while Spanish 3 and 4 students set up their annual projects in the early hours of the morning. Spanish Club is also notorious for selling quality tacos each year at Culture Fest and donating a great portion of its proceeds.

“One of our biggest community events is our participation in Culture Fest every year,” club president and CHS senior Sydney Chung said. “We look forward to it because it gives us the chance to collaborate with so many other clubs on campus.”

In the following years, Spanish Club has not only continued these activities, but also expanded the scope of its work. Members can currently be found volunteering at cultural festivities throughout the community, including Claremont’s very first city-wide Día de los Muertos event in the Village this past year.

During the fall of 2018, Spanish Club introduced the CHS Día de los Muertos Festival alongside a couple other ethnic clubs. Students were able to enjoy live music and dancing, face painting, tacos, and pan dulce. The club helped continue this event the following year and plans on sustaining this tradition for years to come.

“Spanish Club was created with the intent to promote an environment of awareness and learning towards not only the Spanish language, but the culture and history that comes with it as well,” Chung said. “Spanish Club also offers a welcoming environment for anyone to just have a good time and meet new people, regardless of whether they speak Spanish or not.”

And so Spanish Club’s journey carries on! It plays a never-ending, timeless role on campus. The open and diverse environment its members work to provide will always be relevant and crucial to the overall growth of CHS. Whether it be selling tacos or exposing students to the culture of an integral part of CHS’ student body, Spanish Club can be trusted to always broaden our perspectives and push us to learn beyond school curriculum — to learn of family, unity, and the human.