J-M club holds themed event
JEFFERSON – Jefferson-Morgan High School had its first annual Quinceañera Ball or “fiesta de quince años,” sponsored by its foreign language club.
La fiesta de quince años is in the Latino culture a girl’s 15th birthday party and has a special meaning: It marks a girl’s passage from childhood to womanhood. It is a family celebration full of traditions with the community as witness.
Donna Furnier, superintendent of Jefferson-Morgan School District, was in charge of the welcoming words of this celebration. Tia Sullenbarger, Erica Johnson and Kraig Davis, officers of the foreign language club, were the mistresses and master of ceremony.
The court of the Quinceañera walked in the following order: Lesley Tift, escorted by David Blosser; Makayla Harvilla, escorted by Brandon Rutan; Kayla Pendland, escorted by Daniel Ryan; Maria Christy, escorted by Eli Rafail; Megan Beattie, escorted by Gavin Koratich; and Carly Riggi, escorted by Cory Tretinik.
The program continued with the following rituals:
• The changing of the shoes. During this tradition a Quinceañera’s father or a fatherly figure in her life will change her shoes from flat to high heels to signify her passage from childhood to womanhood.
• The crowning. Makayla Harvilla, Maria Christy and Kayla Pendland each had a tiara placed on their heads ny their mothers. The tiara symbolizes that the quinceañera is a “princess” before God and the world.
• The last doll. Lesley Tift gave her last doll away to a little girl to symbolize that now that she became a woman will no longer be playing with dolls.
• The Waltz. Carly Riggi danced a waltz with her father followed by the entire court dancing a waltz and a merengue.
A buffet was served that includied some Hispanic dishes. The Quinceañera wouldn’t have been a success without the foreign language club adviser, Margoth Matteo. The Spanish club officers – Brandon Pelosi, president; Tia Sullenbarger, vice president; Devon Wolfe, treasurer; Kirsten Stoneking, secretary; Kraig Davis, historian; and Erica Johnson, photographer – also helped organize the dance.
At the end, before cutting the cake, the girls had a candle ceremony. During this ceremony the girls called family members to light a candle, and a special dedication was said for each person. Each of the candles symbolized a special memory, a moment shared with the person that was invited to join.
The event helped students learn about culture, of the standards for learning foreign language, but also to create a spirit of a community that accepts and learns about diversity.