Freeport students from all backgrounds celebrated the importance of Hispanic contributions to the community and humanity during National Hispanic Heritage Month.
Dual-language students at Columbus Avenue Early Childhood Center recited brief biographical essays during a slideshow recognizing trailblazing people with Hispanic heritage, including Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Nobel Prize-winning chemist Mario Molina, former U.S. Surgeon General Antonia Novello and retired Women's National Basketball Association player Rebecca Lobo. They closed their show singing the Mexican traditional song "La Piñata."
Caroline G. Atkinson Intermediate School students paid tribute to famous Hispanics ranging from fashion model Christy Turlington-Burns to civil rights activist Cesar Chavez. The assembly featured musical performances by the fifth-grade chorus and mariachi band.
Freeport High School honored local Hispanic business owners Francisco Jorge and Jose Gutierrez for their service and support of the community and school system through their local supermarket, Compare Foods. District attendance officer Maria Duran was recognized for her 32 years of service to the Freeport School District.
"I want to congratulate our honorees and thank them for their extraordinary contributions to the children of Freeport and Freeport public schools," said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kishore Kuncham. Dr. Kuncham was joined by Board of Education trustees Ronald Ellerbe and Anthony Miller, and Village of Freeport Deputy Mayor Carmen Piñeyro.
