“[The Bilingual Club] is a place to hang out for students and to find out about opportunities for them around the school and outside of school,” says sponsor Ms. Beltrán. “The club gives a voice to the bilingual speakers in the school.” 

The Bilingual Club holds meetings every Thursday during lunch in A-137 for its group of more than 20 members. Ms. Karina Beltrán, who teaches Spanish for Native Speakers as well as AP Spanish Language and Culture and AP Spanish Literature, has been running the club for two years now.

“It gives bilingual speakers or those who only speak Spanish more information about the school to find out about community resources for them as well as their families,” said Ms. Beltrán. “It also helps students find out about scholarships.”

The Bilingual Club is very active. They hold fundraisers and are part of Adopt-a-Zone, an initiative that divides the campus into zones that are then kept clean by different student groups. The club is also associated with the New Mexico Dream Team, a non-profit organization that advocates for migrant rights and LGBTQ rights, and also provides leadership workshops.    

The club has had a couple of field trips this year. The first was to the Roundhouse to address representatives about college and job applications for immigrants. The second field trip was for the Excellence Recognition award that SFHS received for its bilingual programs.  

There are no specific requirements to join the club. It does not matter whether you are fully bilingual or only speak Spanish or English. Ms. Beltran said, “Anyone is invited.”