Another successful school year at ISLA Los Sábados has come to an end, and it truly has been an eye opening experience. The theme of the year was “Strengthening our cultural connection through Latin American languages.” We witnessed the incredible efforts of our dedicated students, parents, and teachers through our core value: collective power, where we came together as a community and elevated the wealth of knowledge our families and students have to promote change in education. From celebrating 10 years of building leaders and community to creating beautiful works of art for our Mes de Arte Exposition to exploring scientific activities at our STEM Day, it was a year of growth and transition for our comunidad de ISLA.
This year, we ended it off strong with an End of Year Celebration at Eno River State Park, full of outdoor exploration for our students and a salsa dancing class for our parents, taught by Annie Velez from Poderosa Dance Company. We were delighted to treat our families with a refreshing change from the usual setting and immerse them in a complete outdoor adventure. As each of our students arrived, we could tell how excited they were to begin exploring with their peers. Each class had its own unique plan, with some opting for a serene nature hike to kick off their day, while others chose to start with a rousing game of badminton. Yet there were also those who couldn’t resist and plunged straight into the river for a refreshing swim. Regardless of the approach, each class found its own way to make the most of their last day of ISLA Los Sábados.
To finish the day off, it was time to finally announce the winners of our Annual Raffle Fundraiser. Every year, ISLA hosts an Annual Raffle Fundraiser that allows our organization to sustain and maintain our language and cultural immersion programs. By supporting our fundraiser, our community has the opportunity to win some incredible prizes and become part of a passionate community invested in creating an equitable society strengthened by the power, knowledge, and value of Latin American languages and cultures. This year we were able to raise $6,945!
Congratulations to:
Grand Prize Winner: Kesha Mensah-Bonsu - One Week Getaway Beach House to Salvo Beach in OBX
2nd Prize Winner: Carolina Hernandez - Self Care Basket
3rd Prize Winner: Mildred Rodriguez - Family Basket
4th Prize Winner: Karen Meza Rivera - Date Night Basket
5th Prize Winner: Alejandra Sandoval - BBQ Basket
Congratulations to all of our winners and a big THANK YOU to everyone who participated!! Also, a special thank you to our raffle sponsors: Trilogy Yoga, Armonia Health, Weaver Street Market, El Cuscatleco Restaurant, Flyleaf Books, The Durham Hotel, Cocoa Cinnamon, and Little Waves Coffee Roaster. We are deeply grateful for their generous donations that made this year’s raffle a special one.
Once again, THANK YOU to our teachers, students, parents, and community members for a memorable year. We look forward to seeing everyone back again in October!