The Newberg-Dundee Public Schools’ MEChA group is a chapter of a national student organization that promotes a wide range of higher education, leadership, community engagement, and culture through club activities and events.
Staff leaders of our local MEChA, which includes Newberg High School and Catalyst Alternative High School students, approach this mission strategically, and students find an important sense of belonging along with a wealth of opportunities. The group and its opportunities are open to all students.
What Students Think of MEChA
Club Presidents and NHS seniors Leah Hernandez and Sofia Uribe say that they love the community involvement, holding a dance for the last two years with free food, music, and crafts for kids. Hernandez and Uribe say what they love about the club is that they feel seen both as a member of a group and within the wider community.
“We’re here. We’re a club, and we want to be seen,” Hernandez said.
Why is it important to be seen by and to be involved in the community?
“I feel like there’s a sense that we matter,” Uribe said.
What Our Local MEChA Offers
In addition to providing this sense of belonging and purpose, the club also provides students with opportunities to grow, including promoting higher education, leadership, community engagement, and culture through club activities and events. Spanish-English Dual Language Teacher and Club Advisor Alejandra Ruiz Melchor, along with the other volunteers who support the club, work hard to build up their students in every area MEChA prioritizes:
- Higher Education: The local MEChA has a strong focus on academics, inspiring students to strive for more. There are club study sessions, and, as of this fall, the leaders began rewarding two students in each grade level with a certificate of achievement each trimester. These students must maintain good grades and show commitment through regular club attendance All graduating seniors, usually about 5 to 10 club members, will receive a stole that celebrates MEChA and their culture, with brilliant colors that look like a woven blanket from a Latin American artisan. The local group also offers a $1,000 college scholarship. Apply for the scholarship soon!
- Community engagement and culture: These two club aspects are often interwoven, with students simultaneously touching base with the community and keeping their heritage alive. For example, at student dances and other events, MEChA members sell traditional Hispanic or Latino foods, such as tamales, cinnamon-y-sweet churros, and pozole (soup). Events are often built around observing cultural celebrations such as Día de los Muertos and Cinco de Mayo. Students will build displays that are instructive of a holiday’s history and meaning.
- Leadership: To develop leadership skills, the staff who support the club will help students develop confidence, encouraging them to become club officers, meet successful community leaders, and attend not only the annual MEChA conference but other leadership events, including one this February to be held at a college, Portland State University.
Ruiz Melchor said that the club made a difference for her when she was in high school, discovering her voice and confidence as a leader.
“I want that for them, to step up for themselves and believe in themselves,” she said.
She has done exactly that, as her students can attest.
“I learned how to speak up for myself, how to get opportunities for all of us,” Uribe said.
One example of her finding her leadership voice was asking to hold a Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May in English) festival and not only be seen but heard. The event will take place this May at NHS.
How Did MEChA Come About on a National Level?
MEChA sparked to life in 1969 at a conference in Santa Barbara, California. MEChA includes students of all Latino backgrounds, although its full name evinces its roots in Mexican culture. The name stands for Movimiento Estudiantil Chicanx de Aztlán, or Chicanx Student Movement of Aztlán. Aztlán "was the homeland of the Mexica (pronounced me-SHI- ka) (a native people). Geographically, it is the southwestern United States and northern Mexico," according to MEChA's national website. Chicano/a/x "is an identity of many Americans of Mexican or mestizo descent," according to the website. The word "mecha" means "wick" in Spanish.
In the context of this local group, perhaps this wick is the next generation igniting a light of hope as our bright future. Consider this group of NHS and Catalyst MEChA leaders who are engaged in the community and learning about their own past and culture as they move forward, out into the wider world.
“I think this club represents us,” Uribe said. “We can do good; we are good, everyone in this club.”
To share stories on the Newberg School District, email Communications and Community Relations Coordinator Jillian Daley at [email protected].