On Friday, October 12, Upper School Spanish students gave informative presentations on aspects of Latin culture. The exhibition was thorough, touching upon topics ranging from history to culture; presentations focused on the term “latinx,” with which many people of Latin American heritage identify.

While some students used technology to organize and display their information, others stuck to more traditional methods. The students presented in either Spanish or English, depending on the language preference of the audience.

Mrs. Meatto, Upper School Spanish teacher and organizer of the exhibition, explains the origin of Latinx as “a term that came about online in 2004 in the LGBTQ community. Those with heritage from, and connection to, Latin America were looking for a way to describe themselves as Latinos without indicating a gender.”

Mrs. Meatto went on to explain how “the word spiked in popularity and recognition in 2016 soon after the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, [in which] many of the victims identified as Latinx.” She noted that, now, two years later, “the term is… widely used on college campuses, in the media, and among younger generations.”

Mrs. Meatto elaborated, stating that “Latinx is a term that members of our community may identify with, along with latino/a, hispano/a, and others. Knowing and becoming comfortable using this and a variety of identity terms is a key step towards each of us becoming more interculturally competent.”

Additionally, Zaire Profit ‘21 – who gave an engaging and informative presentation about the evolution of Latin dance with Logan Troeger ‘21 – asserted that “it is fundamental to present the cultures and history [of Latin American countries] as many people from the SLS community have heritage from [these] countries.”