Grants in Action: Roots That Bring Us Together

What does it look like when a whole school sees itself reflected?

During October’s Día de los Muertos celebration, a shy third-grader brought a photo of their late grandfather to place on the class altar. They carefully folded a tissue-paper marigold, set the photo down, and shared a memory of him with their classmates.

That moment is what Raíces Unidas is all about. The Hispanic and Latin American club at Vinland Elementary, made possible by a North Kitsap Schools Foundation grant, gave students in the Spanish-English Dual Language Program a place to celebrate who they are and to be seen doing it.

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It worked even better than anyone hoped. Monthly attendance climbed from 15 students to 36, not counting the siblings and family members who kept showing up too. Then came Día de los Muertos, which drew at least 267 students and family members after school, alongside an all-school assembly that reached 496 students. A club that started small became something the whole building gathered around.

What made it run was the community itself. Families arrived early to prep materials and brought authentic traditional foods to share. When teacher prep time ran short on busy event days, parent volunteers stepped in and made sure everything came together. This was never a program delivered to families. It was one built alongside them.

The lessons reached beyond any single heritage. After a Drum Dream Girl storytime and a drum-shaker activity, one parent shared how much it meant to the club that it highlighted Afro-Latinx heroes. The lesson gave their child a sense of belonging and inspired them to keep drumming to African-Caribbean rhythms at home. That is what representation does. It tells a student: there is a place here for you, exactly as you are.

For 150 students and just as many family members, Raíces Unidas became a space for connection, healing, and cultural pride. The teacher who led it, Ashlee Redfern, is already looking ahead to more meeting dates, a bigger Día de los Muertos, and hopes to one day welcome Spanish-speaking students and families from across the entire North Kitsap School District.

And that’s the heart of it. Thanks to assistance from Poulsbo Rotary Club, Tim Ryan Construction, and Wade Zinn Physical Therapy, our community came together to make sure its students saw their cultures honored, their stories told, and their families welcomed through the school doors. 

A shy third-grader stood a little taller next to a marigold and a photograph. A child kept drumming at home. That is what support looks like up close.

This is Grants in Action: Celebrating every student’s roots and growing a stronger community in the process.