St. Louis Language Immersion School Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with All-Day EventSchool Will Hold Celebration Oct. 16
St. Louis, Mo. (October 6, 2026) St. Louis Language Immersion School’s Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration culminates with a day full of festivities on Oct. 16 as students in the Spanish program will perform dances and songs while exploring Hispanic culture throughout the school.
SLLIS elementary teacher and Spanish Department Chair Stephanie Diaz said learning language is about more than just vocabulary and grammar. Words have different meanings and, in certain situations, could be used in a variety of ways. Diaz emphasized that celebrations like the Hispanic Heritage Month event help place words and sentences into context.
“Language at its core is context,” Diaz said. “You need to know the context of language so you can use language properly. One word can mean many different things depending on who you’re talking to, what country you’re in or the subject you are discussing. At SLLIS, our dual language immersion model means we’re not just teaching students words, but giving them the opportunities to use those words in everyday situations. Teaching students while they’re young that there’s a broad spectrum of cultures, food and more gives them that world citizenship you don’t get in another school.”
During the Hispanic Heritage Month celebration, each Spanish classroom at SLLIS will prepare a song, poem, play, dance or other cultural demonstration from a Spanish-speaking country around the world. The students will perform what they’ve learned to other students at SLLIS. Parents and the community are also invited to attend.
“This day is very important for our students,” Diaz said. “Our kids love sharing cultures with their peers, families and teachers. Recently, one of my students from Mexico’s eyes lit up when we were talking about tamales because she recognized them as something that connected her culture with mine. I’m from Panama, where tamales are also part of our culture, and it was a beautiful moment to see her make that connection. We also talk about how the same word can represent different things across cultures—for example, a tortilla in Mexico is different from a tortilla in Panama. Teaching Spanish is not just about words; it’s about culture, context and building confidence. Sharing language and culture helps kids feel like they belong, and SLLIS is where they can gain that sense of belonging.”
There will also be multiple vendors at the SLLIS celebration with arts and crafts, food, and jewelry from Spanish-speaking countries. Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, and SLLIS gave its students a month to prepare and show off what they know for this culminating event on Oct. 16.
About St. Louis Language Immersion School
St. Louis Language Immersion School was founded in 2009 and is a charter school serving Pre-K through 8th grade to the City of St. Louis. The school provides students with a world-class, global, dual language immersion education in French, Spanish or Chinese, taught by native speakers. The one of a kind school was named the 2024 Best Public Charter School in Missouri and plays an essential role in the fabric of the St. Louis community. For more information, go to www.sllis.org.