Students, parents and staff celebrated the second annual Noche de Encanto under the pavilion Oct. 6. The event recognized dishes from different cultures.

“I had a blast, and it was so nice to see not only the kids interacting with each other, but the parents interacting with each other and with the kids,” Spanish 4 and AP Spanish teacher Alexandra Stewart, one of the main organizers of the event, said. “I would love to think that this event is something that brings the community together. Students and parents both get to try out new items of food, a great gateway into learning about a culture in bite-size pieces, while listening to our amazing arts programs perform. It is really a great way to showcase the amazing variety of our Wildcats.”

Stewart received help from multiple clubs and departments, including the Culinary Club, Multicultural Club, Spanish Honors Society and more.

“We had one big joint meeting where everybody got the permission slips,” Stewart said. “Then, [I followed] up with lots and lots of people to make sure that the food was there [and] to make sure that everything else was going to be OK.”

The money earned from selling tickets will be split between the groups who helped organize the event. Proceeds will help cover costs for the National Spanish Exam, which is given to students in level 3, 4 and AP.

“Part of the money was given to the Multicultural Club and the Culinary Club and the music [program],” Stewart said. “[The National Spanish Exam] comes with scholarship opportunities and is a great way for the kids to see where they stand against their peers across the country. I am happy to report that we did meet our goal and helped the other clubs that participated meet theirs.”

Freshman and orchestra member Paulette Pozo participated in Noche de Encanto.

“I am a violin player, so I just played violin, and we performed three pieces at the event,” Pozo said. “I helped my parents make the food the night before.”

Stewart said she was pleased with the outcome.

“I’m extremely proud of how the event turned out,” she said. “The kids, as per usual, stepped up and did a really good job.”

According to Stewart there may possibly be more fundraisers and events to come.

“The AP Spanish students have a very cool opportunity over spring break,” Stewart said. “We are in the process of working through the paperwork to spend a week in Salamanca, Spain at the second-oldest university in Europe.”

By Kris Rosa and Samiya Neely