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Neighbors | Submitted.Seniors at Ursuline High School performed a Columbian Cubia dance during the Fiesta de las Americas on April 26.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Ursuline High School seniors Olexa Bunofsky and Kayleigh Cannell dressed for the Fiesta de las Americas event at UHS on April 26.
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Neighbors | Submitted.Seniora Paulina Montaldo performed a mariachi dance for the Fiesta de las Americas at Ursuline High School on April 26.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Dancers from Pittsburgh, PA came to Ursuline High School's Fiesta de las Americas community event on April 27.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Cor and Joyce Kester brought alpacas from their farm in Pulaski, Pa. for guests to pet and visit with during the Fiesta de las Americas at Ursuline High School on April 26.
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Neighbors | Alexis Bartolomucci.Local band, The Labra Bros, performed at Ursuline High School's Fiesta de las Americas event on April 26.
By ALEXIS BARTOLOMUCCI
Ursuline High School celebrated Hispanic culture during the third annual Fiesta de las Americas night on April 26 with more than 450 people joining them.
This year, the students and Senora Paulina Montaldo wanted to make the event better than the last two years. Current Spanish Club President Marie Bond met with Montaldo a few times over the summer of 2016 to start planning and coming up with ideas for the event.
“Last year we thought we had a really good outcome and we wanted to top that this year. We knew that it would take a lot of hard work and a lot of time, so we just tried our best to put in the effort to make sure that this was as successful, and hopefully even more, as last year,” said emcee Vince Venzeio.
Students from Canfield, Boardman, Poland, Mooney and even Youngstown State University attended the event. Members from the other schools’ Spanish Clubs were invited to attend.
“It’ll be a fun night. I’m thankful for all the hard work the everyone has put in,” said emcee Frank Sobnosky.
Last year, around 300 people attended the event, and the UHS Spanish Club anticipated even more to attend this year. Every year, word of the event gets around more and the number of guests who attend grows.
”There’s been a lot of people involved. We’ve been working on it for months,” said upcoming Spanish Club President Seamus Chrystal.
Food was donated from Sr. Jalepeno, families of Ursuline students and Chrystal Catering. Two alpacas were brought in by Ursuline High School alumni, Cor and Joyce Kester, that the students were able to look at and pet.
The Labra Bros, a local band, has been performing for the event all three years. The Spanish Club is working to make the event more of a community event, rather than just the schools.
“We have a lot of underclassmen who have become invested, this year especially. So we hope as we three graduate they’ll be able to carry it on,” said Bond.
In an effort to promote the learning of Spanish and the Hispanic culture, Senora Paulina Montaldo will teach a Spanish summer camp at Ursuline High School July 17-21 for children in third through eighth-grade.