Hispanic Heritage Month is well underway. And to honor the month, a group of students in New Haven learned about Connecticut’s growing Latino population.
Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz engaged with curious fifth graders at Mauro-Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet School Tuesday about why Latinos are such an important group in Connecticut.
“People talked about how the Hispanic population is growing really quickly. But there's another thing about the Hispanic and Latino population in Connecticut that nobody said yet,” Bysiewicz said.
"It's like 17.7% of the entire population of Connecticut itself,” one student said.
Students talked about how their families were from all across Latin America, including Bolivia, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Chile and Mexico.
Melanie Morano, a student at the school, said she was happy to be learning more about what it means to be Latino. She was also excited to learn about other countries' traditions.
“My family lives in Mexico. And we have a drink," Morano said, " I'm from La Cascara. So there’s a drink and it’s my favorite drink, it’s called Cacao."
There are currently 637,000 Latinos living in Connecticut, Bysiewicz said. She highlighted the fact that it’s not only a very big group, but an important one.
“In our state, the fastest growing ethnic group is Hispanic and Latino people. I think it's important for our young people to learn about their heritage,” Bysiewicz said.
Sandy Kaliszewski, the principal of the Mauro Sheridan Interdistrict Magnet, said the school takes the time to appreciate every culture. She says it’s very important for students to know the Latinos in their community and celebrate who they are.
