Warren Twp. team competes in 5 de Mayo College Bowl
Warren Township High School sent its first team to compete with other high schools in the knowledge of Mexican-American Civil Rights during the 5 de Mayo College Bowl at Highland Park High School.
Highland Park has been hosting the bowl since 1998 and each year the competition grows in participants and number of high schools competing. The competition involves students studying PBS documentary videos about Mexican-American history and civil rights during the 1960s. Students participate in a team competition with members buzzing in their answers to questions they anticipate will be asked from the Mexican-American civil rights history. Each student also takes a multiple choice test which can result in them receiving scholarships. Also, this year the program has guest speaker: Moctesuma Esparza, an award-winning filmmaker who helped produce "The Milagro Beanfield War" and "Gettysburg." A dinner, dance and trophy presentation follow.
Being the first from Warren's Spanish Club to participate, means a lot to students on the team.
"It gives you more pride of who you are and where you are going in the future," said Eduardo Prado, a varsity team member and this year's student council president at Warren.
Varsity team member Maritsa Nieto said, "We learned things we wouldn't normally."
Junior Varsity team member Araceli Moreno said that she learned about farm worker and labor leader Cesar Chavez, and in speaking with her grandfathers about the leader, she learned they both remember meeting him.
"They remember him as being very humble and easy to talk to."
The students said they know that generations of Mexican Americans have lost the information about their history.
"We can pass along that information to the next generation," said Erika Marmol, a varsity team member.
Warren team members are: Enrique Ontiveros, Francisco Mena, Angelica Marmol, Araceli Moreno and Mayra Sotomayor, junior varsity; and Eduardo Prado, Erika Marmol, Maritsa Nieto, Guadalupe Marquez and Diana Lara for the varsity.
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