Page 9 - Demo

Dolores Huerta Visits
Michigan State University
Michigan State University hosted their 8th annual Leadership Conference February 27, 2018 in honor of César Chávez. The keynote speaker for the event was Ms. Dolores Huerta. The fact that the keynote was going to be Dolores Huerta immediately created a lot of excitement and buzz in our district and community. Many of our district school leaders including Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul knew that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for our students to meet a great Latino American labor leader and civil rights activist. The Lansing School District decided to attend the event and began the next steps. In all, over 200 Lansing School District students attended from Everett, Eastern, Sexton High Schools and Lewton Elementary.
This was a special event for our students in that Ms. Dolores Huerta did a community event that was very personable and mostly attended by our district students. Afterward, MSU had four break out sessions just for Lansing School District students all related to leadership and the importance of a college education. All of students next gathered for the luncheon including a tasty formal meal and the honor of hearing Ms. Dolores Huerta deliver her message on the meaning of organizing a movement, the challenges Latinos face, the definitions of bigotry and the importance of exercising your right to vote. Ms. Huerta has a way to capture the audience and our students were so focused on her message. After Ms. Huerta’s messages, our students marched with her to Beaumont Tower in solidarity.
It was such pleasure to see our students so interested and very attentive in this great leader. As educator s this is what we strive to achieve — “total student engagement.” Yosany Loza Martinez, one of our high school students, presented Ms. Huerta with a plaque from the Lansing School District inscribed “We must never forget the history and power of the phrase ‘Sí Se Puede.’”
In all it was a well-planned out academic experience for our students with a little touch of history.
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