Students Honored at Latino Students Award Ceremony

The Latino Achievement Awards Ceremony was conducted on Tuesday, March 29 in the Eagle Theatre.

Latino students were honored with awards recognizing academic achievement in English, mathematics, science, history, foreign language, school service, school spirit and leadership, top-five GPA in each grade level, scholar athlete and the Principal’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. The National Hispanic Recognition 2010-2011 Scholar was also awarded at the ceremony.

The event was jointly hosted by the LAHS Latin Student Union (LSU) and Mountain View High School’s Latino Movement.

The annual Awards Ceremony is held each year to promote academic success and celebrate Latino achievement.

“I feel like [the ceremony] is a really good way to recognize our hard work,” junior Salvador Chavez said. “I’m the first in my family to go to college, so it’s pretty much just me [in my family] trying to go ahead and show that the Latino community works as hard as any other.”

This year’s theme was sí, se puede or “yes, you can.”

The ceremony itself was a mix of performances, speaker presentations and award presentations.

The ceremony opened and closed with performances by the members of Ballet Folklórico de Carlos Morena. Another performance was given midway through the ceremony by the members of Renacer Folklórico Boliviano.

Guest speakers included the Associate Vice Chancellor/Dean of Students of UC Santa Cruz Alma Sifuentes, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Ulu Ventures Miriam Rivera, and President/CEO of the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce Oscar Garcia.

The awards presentation was led by the Masters of Ceremonies. The two MCs from LAHS included LSU President senior Mari Molina and LSU Vice President senior Jose Villanueva.

Awards were presented by District Superintendent Dr. Barry Groves, MVLA Associate Superintendent Brigitte Sarraf, LAHS Principal Wynne Satterwhite and MVHS Principal Keith Moody.

A reception followed immediately afterward.

Source: http://www.lahstalon.org/news/students-honored-at-latino-students-award-ceremony/

As a Latino male in my early 30’s I can honestly say my drink of choice is neither beer nor whisky, but rather wine. I love a good glass of red at the end of the day to wine (no pun intended) me down. My friends and I who also consist of young Latino males in our late 20’s and early 30’s have made many trips to the barrel this past year at various wine bars in Los Angeles and New York. One of my favorites, if not my favorite in Los Angeles, is Silverlake Wine Bar in Silverlake: http://silverlakewine.com/ (2395 Glendale Blvd, Los Angeles, Ca 90039) looks like a wine store from it’s pictures, however when you step in, you get lost in a plethora of great wine surroundings. Every Monday and Thursday night they have white and red flights for only 12 dollars. They also have a great selection of beers and cold champagne. Check them out if your ever in Los Angeles. If your on the East Coast, specifically New York, my wine bar of choice is Wined Up Wine Bar in the Flat Iron District: http://winedupnyc.com/menu.cfm (913 Boardway, New York City) Not only do they have a great menu, their wines are the best of the Europe, South America and throughout California. If you ever have the opportunity to check out of these places and you are a rookie to the wine bar scene, I’ve attached a great 5 rules article recently featured in GQ Magazine entitled: Scenes from several Cellars: Alan Richman’s rules for Wine Tasting. If you’ve never been to a wine bar, check them out and if you’ve been and need some brushing up, it won’t hurt to check them out. Enjoy. hp. 

Will Demian Bichir or “A Better Life” make the Oscar cut this year? A Better Life, which was released on June 24, 2011 here in the US about an undocumented gardener from East Los Angeles and his struggle to provide a better life for him and his son, Luis. I don’t want to spoil the ending for those who haven’t seen it, but I am. Sorry. In the end, Carlos Galindo, who is undocumented, is forced back to Mexico without his son. Actor Demian Bichir who plays the role of Carlos Galindo, has been the talk around a possible Oscar nomination. Only time will tell if the Academy will be more open this year to such topics, such as immigration to represent the Best Actor category. As a Latino male, I watched this movie twice with the hope that people both Latinos and non Latinos alike, will understand the struggles immigrants face on a daily bases to stay in this country. Immigration is one of the biggest issues this nation is dealing with and this movie will educate and open people’s minds to the realities of deportation on families and the economy. hp.

Latino Fashion Week 2011 kicks off November 1st in Chicago. For all you Latino’s into Fashion, check out our blog for updates from the shows. 

Halloween is only two days away and Lucha Libre is always a popular costume to those young and old. We are joining Latino Voices in paying tribute to Blue Demon and El Santo and the impact they have had on pop and modern culture. 

Dia de Los Muertos, November 1st and 2nd of every year, is a celebration of the dead. Weather you believe in the after life or not, it’s important that we never forget those who have gone before us and the impact they have had on our lives. For me, this year I am celebrating the life of my grandmother, Josie Pacheco, who died January 10, 2010. Will will you be remembering this year?