Noche de las Estrellas, or Night of the Stars, is an end-of-year celebratory performance put on by Spanish teacher Luis Miguel Ramirez’s Spanish 6 class. At Noche de las Estrellas (Noche), students choreograph and perform dances, play Latin music, and lip sync in a variety of different acts, which are all performed on the big stage at the end of the year. As a Spanish 6 student, senior Hays Turner will play a large role in the preparations leading up to the event.

“I will be helping pick songs to perform, working on choreography, promoting the show to the whole school, and practicing my dance moves,” Turner said. “Everyone in class picks roles and we all set our own deadlines to make sure everything is ready for the big night.”

Senior Lily Prath has also been hard at work preparing for Noche. She is particularly looking forward to performing one of the dances she’s been choreographing with her classmates.

“I’m going to dance, play guitar, make a documentary, and help make posters,” Prath said. “As a class we’ve all been working on the choreography for our dances and preparing to host auditions for anyone else wanting to participate.”

Prath hopes to integrate students throughout all levels of the Spanish program into the event. According to her, some of the goals she has in mind for this year’s Noche include getting a good turnout and increasing engagement.

“I’m hoping more people in other Spanish classes audition,” Prath said. “One of the dances we’re choreographing right now is really fun, and I’m looking forward to performing it. I hope it’ll be really fun, and the audience will interact a lot.”

Turner is also looking forward to increased student engagement. He’s excited to see his friends perform what they’ve been working on in front of the crowd.

“I hope that this year, Noche gets the support it deserves because we all work so hard to put on a show for the school that is both well-rehearsed and really enjoyable,” Turner said. “COVID also put a halt to the in-person show in both 2020 and 2021, so we hope that we can build off of the work from last year’s class and make this Noche the best one yet.”

Noche de las Estrellas will be during the evening of April 12. All Spanish students receive extra credit for attending, but according to Hays and Prath, everyone is invited and welcome.

Luis Ramirez, one of LASA’s Spanish teachers and the organizer of Noche de las Estrellas, said that Noche is a LASA tradition he enjoys helping continue. Ramirez explained that Noche de las Estrellas is a great opportunity for students to receive recognition for their artistic talents while also improving their knowledge of different cultures.

“Even though we touch on art and culture from Spanish-speaking countries in class, we don’t really get the chance to live it, breathe it, and study it,” Ramirez said. “So Noche de las Estrellas gives students an opportunity to make actual connections with the Spanish-speaking community. It’s a tradition that LASA has had for many years, and I am happy to continue it.”