The family and friends of 22 students from Pace High School crowded into the school’s Administration Building to watch them become the latest inductees into the school’s Spanish National Honors Society, called Nuestra Huellas, which translates to “Our Footprints.”
Pace’s Spanish National Honors Society is moderated by Celita Cabrera, a beloved Spanish teacher who has worked at the school for nearly 25 years. She and Spanish teacher Francisco Soto managed the induction ceremony to welcome the 22 underclassmen into the school chapter for the 2015-2016 school year.
The administration building lobby was transformed into a festival hall with tables adorned with flags of Latin American and European countries along with a buffet table of Hispanic food. Following a meal, the 22 inductees met with Cabrera and Soto where they each received a candle and were brought forward before the crowd for the initiation ritual.
The inductees lit their candles by sharing the flame with one another and read the oath of induction. Spanish NHS president Natalie Ayes and vice president Kristen Sanchez-Britton then spoke on the history and significance of the ritual. The afternoon ended with families, faculty, and inductees sharing a taste of Celita’s famous Cuban coffee and reminiscing on experiences lived in Spanish classes throughout the year.