Members of the Latin American Student Association entertained Walter Johnson students during third period on October 1 in an assembly in recognition of Hispanic Heritage month.

The assembly was the culmination of a month of hard work and was a preview of the following week’s inter-high school Latin Dance Competition hosted in WJ’s Michael C. Lewis Auditorium.

The club members hosted the event, which featured a Salsa group dance, and a mix dance of bachata, meringue, and salsa. In addition to highlighting the dance and music of their cultures, the students put on a fashion show exhibiting various traditional styles of some of the nationalities represented in the school.

To prepare for the assembly, the students choreographed the dances, designed the sets, selected the music and rehearsed the routines.

The Latin American Student Association was founded in order to encourage school involvement among WJ’s fairly small Latin American population. Sponsor and Spanish teacher Amanda McAndrew recognizes the club as a good way to get students involved and to expand the rest of the student body’s knowledge of the Latin American culture. In the coming school year, the club plans to sponsor activities such as a Latin American Café featuring traditional foods, and salsa lessons taught by local salsa dancer Galileo Lopez. The club also collaborates with the Black Student Union to host a “Lunchtime Jam” in the Old Media Center.

Association members recently performed in the Fifth Annual Latin Dance Competition among Walter Johnson, Paint Branch, Watkins Mill, Gaithersburg, Blake, and Einstein high schools. Students competed in nine categories of dances including group and couples dances, an alumni dance, a folklore category, and a “Jack and Jill” elimination round. WJ walked away with two first place awards in the folklore and showcase categories, second place in the meringue category, and third in the salsa category.