The Adelante Charter School community celebrated Mother’s Day with its annual Día de Las Madres celebration on May 11 that included a surprise mariachi band for the moms, Mariachi Nuevo Jalisco, and ended with Mexican folkloric dancing from Xochipilli de Santa Barbara.

Students from each of the classrooms sang songs or danced for the families in a culturally rich evening attended by more than 400 people in attendance, a testament to the close-knit community Adelante has cultivated over the years.

Parent involvement is a signature strength of the small kindergarten-6th grade dual language-charter school where students are instructed in Spanish and English.

The Santa Barbara Mariachi Festival Inc. and Miguel Ángel Avila teamed up to help sponsor the mariachis for the families. The Parent Teacher Staff Organization (PTSO) hosted and organized the event and provided a free plate of tacos to each mother.

The PTSO has worked together this year taking on ambitious fundraising efforts in support of all students.

—  Holly Gil for Adelante School.