Sept. 29, 2025- This past Saturday, members of the Hispanic Heritage Clubs of High School East, High School North, and High School South gathered in Mancini Hall at Ocean County Library for the inaugural Hispanic Heritage Celebration. More than 100 students from the three high schools attended an afternoon filled with exciting performances, delicious food, and opportunities to connect further with their community.

Upon arriving, students were greeted with a generous assortment of games and resources provided by OCL. They mingled with each other and explored all the opportunities and information available.

One such resource was NJ SNAP, and students were provided information about the various ways the SNAP program could benefit them and their families. The SNAP Gap project of Rutgers University generously sponsored the food for the event.

After the delicious meal, the presidents of each high school's club took the stage to welcome attendees and kick off the afternoon's festivities. 

Students had prepared for weeks to showcase their talents, which included a variety of dance and singing performances: punta, huapango, reggaeton, tribal, salsa, folklorico, and much more were all performed.

"Students took great pride in showcasing their abilities to one another, and each student shone bright and brought joy to the event," said Hispanic Heritage Club advisor Liz Rodriguez. 

Even after 14 wonderful performances, the event ended as many such events do— with the students continuing to dance with each other.

"Along with the SNAP Gap grant, this event was made possible by the continued efforts of the students to get involved, engage with their community, build rapport with one another, and develop their sense of cultural pride," said Rodriguez.

Additional photos of the event are below.