McCallum hosted its annual quinceañera on Saturday, offering students the opportunity to experience the traditional coming-of-age celebration together in a supportive and inclusive setting. The event, organized and sponsored by Señora Telvi Altamirano-Cancino and supported by Ballet Folklórico, aims to honor cultural tradition while making it accessible to all students. Through the help of MAS Cultura Austin and local businesses like Chico’s and Sweet Ceremonies, Altamirano was able to provide students with dresses and formal wear, low-rider cars to arrive in, a DJ and food for the event. 

Senora A said she was thankful for Monica Maldonado of MAS Cultura for making this year’s edition of the quinceañera special.

“She put out the call to the community, and this is how we were able to get a real deejay to volunteer for the event, a photographer and the low riders,” Altamirano-Cancinco said. “All volunteers that found out about our event wanted to give back to the community. I feel absolutely blessed.”

ULOVI deejayed the event, and Mask provided and set up the sound equipment. Alex Galvan provided professional photography, and Ben Tipton, Joseph “Fly” Salazar and Dane McInis provided low riders.

With the help of Ballet Folklórico, participants dedicated weeks to learning and rehearsing the dances, including the main waltz in preparation for the big day. Ballet Folklórico club members also helped to decorate for the event and communicate with participants and their families leading up as well as perform the “Baile Sopresa” or “Surprise Dance” for students and their families. Over the years that the McCallum Quinceañera has become a tradition, it has grown each year in both scale and participation, and continues to be a meaningful celebration that brings students, families and staff together to recognize an important cultural milestone.

We are delighted to shed a spotlight on McCallum’s annual quinceañera for this week’s Tuesday Top 10.

Gallery • 10 Photos

Sylvia Hurtado

KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE: As a part of the quinceañera on Saturday, members of Ballet Folklórico performed a surprise dance. Freshman Elicia De Leon who is a member of Ballet Folklórico was unable to participate due to an injury but still partook in many of the festivities. “It was a really welcoming party,” De Leon said. “We had lots of families there, lots of food. Everyone brought food who could. There were people who weren't even related to participants that came just for fun. It was really enjoyable.” De Leon has had a quinceañera before and said that the one on Saturday shared many similarities with hers. De Leon expressed how important the McCallum Quinceañera is for many girls who may not be able to have one without it. “I just appreciate it so much how they showed the girls support and appreciate our traditions through the Mexican culture and our Mexican dancing,” she said. De Leon also noted the role that the quinceañera plays in helping raise funds for Ballet Folklórico. “Funds raised go to our dresses and shoes, and it's just a really enjoyable event along with being a fundraiser,” she said. “The quinceañera and Ballet Folklórico is an important part in keeping up those traditions and keeping them alive for Mexicans and Hispanics in general, and so I really appreciate anyone who donated to it.” Caption by Lillian Gray.

MAGICAL MOMENT: Freshman Yami Salas-Martinos is honored in the annual McCallum Quinceañera held on Saturday. The quinceañera is accessible to all students, and allows them to experience the event, without the high expenses of having an individual quinceañera.

Having the opportunity to participate in this coming-of-age celebration with her peers after putting in so much hard work getting ready for it and showcasing her choreographed dances was the highlight of the event for Salas-Martinos.

“The social part of it was a lot of fun and exciting because I love to dance,” Salas-Martinos said. “It was especially fun.”

The dances they rehearsed celebrate Mexican cultural traditions, which was very significant to Salas-Martinos, as they allowed her to connect with her culture.

“The performance was my favorite part of the dance,” Salas-Martinos said. “Celebrating Mexican dance and my culture was great.”

After weekly rehearsals during FIT, and lunch, she knew the dances by heart and was ready to show them off to her peers and family. 

“All that hard work was very rewarding when I was finally able to perform,” Salas-Martinos said. “It was successful and I felt like in the end, it was all good and worth it.” 

Caption by Sophia Manos. Photo by Lilah Lavigne.

COMING TOGETHER: Sophomore Alexis Jimenez prepares for a photo with fellow quinceañeras at the annual McCallum Quinceañera on Saturday.

The now annual tradition is an opportunity for students to get the experience of a quinceañera without so much of the cost and Jimenez said she really enjoyed the experience, especially considering the limited budget.

“I thought it was really fun, we had people to talk to and everyone was friendly.” Jimenez said.

Jimenez said she was very grateful for the work and effort shown by Señora Altamirano.

“She was so nice and did a lot to make sure we had a good experience.” Jimenez said.

The dance had been worked on by all participants for a long time and required a lot of effort. Jimenez said she had done other dances before, but said that this was one of her favorites.

“I loved when it all came together fully,” Jimenez said.

Caption by Adele Seeboth. Photo by Lilah Lavigne.

DANCING THE KNIGHT AWAY: Sophomore José Yemez arrives in a low-rider car outside of McCallum for  the annual Quinceañera. When someone asked to take a picture of his arrival, Yemez said he happily agreed. 

Overall, Yemez enjoyed the night and hoped that the tradition could continue on.

“I really liked dancing there,” Yemez said. “There was a lot of dancing and formations in the beginning. The people who helped us were great. I hope the event can be repeated in the future.”

Caption by Shila Gill. Photo by Elizabeth Nation.

DRESS TO IMPRESS: Junior Sofia Arredondo-Nunez is introduced at the quinceañera, accompanied by sophomore José Yemez.  Arredondo-Nunez said she choose to be part of the event in order to embrace her culture.

“I decided to participate in the quinceañera because I wanted to build community and show Hispanic culture,” Arredondo-Nunez said. “Having a quinceañera is a special moment of entering womanhood. I loved the experience and thanked everyone for being there.”

Arredondo-Nunez said that she had a great time at the event, and that she is interested in being a part of the quinceañera again next year.

“I enjoyed all of us performing our dance and coming together as a friend group,” Arredondo-Nunez said. “I also enjoyed spending time with family. I am going to be joining next year’s quince again. I loved getting to meet new people.”

Nunez said along with the quinceañera she is also interested in joining Ballet Folklórico.

“Getting to wear the clothes, makeup, and hairstyle seems fun,” Arredondo-Nunez said, “and it’s a great way to embrace Hispanic culture.

Caption by Evelyn Jenkins. Photo by Sylvia Hurtado.

SPOTLIGHT ON YOU: Freshman Sadie Mason dances at the McCallum Quinceñeara on Saturday with her chambelan, Lauren Arnold. Mason said she decided to have her Quinceañera at McCallum after hearing about the program through the Spanish teachers.

“I had a group of girls to practice with, and I felt like it was better than just having it by myself,” Mason said. “The quinceañera was really important, culturally, for my family. We’re Mexican, and all my parents and cousins never got to have a quinceñeara because they’re really expensive.”

Mason said it was amazing to have her moment in the sun, and the event allowed her to step more into her own confidence.

“It was amazing,” Mason said. “I thought to myself, ‘The spotlight’s on you.’ I thought I was going to be embarrassed and anxious, but it was really fun and liberating.”

Mason’s younger sister lives in Buda, but Mason hopes she’ll get to experience some form of a quinceañera. She said she counts herself lucky to have trained with Señora Altamirano-Cancino and hopes the program continues for many years.

“I was just so grateful to my Spanish teacher and the school for letting me experience something that I wouldn’t be able to experience if it wasn’t for them,” Mason said. “I feel such a connection with the other girls. They’re honestly like my sisters now.”

Caption by Beatrix Lozach. Photo by Sylvia Hurtado.

QUINCEAÑERA MAGNIFIES CULTURE: Señora Altamirano stands with ULOVI, the event deejay, so she can use the microphone to thank everyone who contributed to the event. Altamirano has organized the quinceañera for the past two years but credits the success of the event to the community members who contributed their time and resources. 

 “This was the community getting together and saying, ‘We really want to do something special, and we want to show people that this is a valuable tradition,’” Altamirano said.

Not only did parents bring food and students lend their dresses for the Quinceañeras, but the larger Austin community had a role in making the event special.

“We had life skills helping us wash the tablecloths,” Altamirano said. “We had Cheko’s Restaurant donate rice and beans, and chips for the event and Sweet Ceremonies in Lakeline Mall has worked with us on quinceañeras for years. They allow us to rent the dresses out. I also got in touch with MAS Cultura’s founder [Monica Maldonado], an organization here in Austin, and it was because of her putting out [the word] to the community that this event was happening, that we were able to get a DJ, and we were able to get the low riders here.”

ULOVI deejayed the event, and Mask provided and set up the sound equipment. Alex Galvan provided professional photography, and Ben Tipton, Joseph “Fly” Salazar and Dane McInis provided low riders.

Altamirano, along with the Ballet Folklórico group, spent lunch and FIT periods making sure the quinceañera participants knew the waltz, a key tradition in a Quinceañera. 

“They were also the ones that were in charge of communicating between me and the quinceañeras, and decorating, volunteering for cleanup,” Altamirano said.  “They did their part, and that’s why it was successful, because of their involvement.” 

The Ballet Folklórico didn’t just have an important role in the planning of the event; they also put in extra work to perform at the Quinceañera.

“They did perform the ‘Baile Sorpresa,’ which is another aspect of the quinceañera,” Altamirano said. “Usually you have the waltz and then you have a ‘Baile Sorpresa,’ which is a surprise dance.” 

After the stresses of planning the event ceased and the day came, Altamirano was able to enjoy the quinceañera to the fullest.

“The moment I saw the faces of the girls when they saw the lowriders pull up was awesome because bringing those cars took community involvement, and so that was one of my favorite moments,” Altamirano said. “Another one was, of course, the waltz, just seeing it put together after we’ve been practicing so much for it, and watching the parents kind of in awe of their kids, just made a very special moment.”

Overall, Altamirano said she is proud of the combined community efforts of everyone who helped make the day a celebration of tradition and culture.

“This event was about giving those girls an opportunity to shine and feel special and continue a cultural tradition, and to be able to provide that at the school, that’s amazing.” Altamirano said.  “We want to keep showing all students that this is a place of acceptance, and we value culture here at McCallum. We respect culture, and even more than respect it, we magnify it.”

Caption by Magnolia Mass. Photo by Sylvia Hurtado.

SWEET CELEBRATION: Sophomore Josiah Mendez dances with Alexis Jimenez at her quinceañera. The quinceañera was hosted to give those who didn’t have their own an opportunity to celebrate their coming of age.

Mendez said he put in a lot of time and effort into making it a special day.

“We practiced our dance for over a month,” he said. “My Spanish teacher, Señora A helped us learn the dance. It was really nice of her to help us for the celebration.”

Mendez said the day really made Jimenez happy.

“She’d been looking forward to it for a while,” he said. “They can be really expensive, so I’m happy that she was able to have her day.”

Caption by Fletcher Vandegrift. Photo by Elizabeth Nation.

ENJOYING CHILDHOOD, LOOKING FORWARD TO ADULTHOOD: Senior and Ballet Folklórico captain Daira Benitez helped organize the quinceañera held this Saturday alongside Senora Altamirano-Cancino.

Benitez explained that Ballet Folklórico helped to organize the waltz choreography, decorate for the event and communicate with participants and their families.

“We help fund most of the things, so we have some donated dresses, but if they don’t fit, we also go out of our way and take them to a mall so they can pick out a dress they want to rent and even though they’re pretty expensive, I think it’s worth it,” Benitez said. “We had to make a contract with all the participants about their responsibilities, for example bringing one main dish and decorating their tables.”

Benitez said after several years doing the communal quinceañera at McCallum, she thinks it’s only gotten better and better, and Benitez said since she’s a senior this year, she was able to help out more.

“During my off periods, I would go with Señora A and help bring out all the stuff we needed and I got to help a lot with the dance this year,” Benitez said.

Benitez said she was inspired to help organize the event after being a participant her freshman year.

“The very first year we had done it again right after COVID, I did participate as a quinceañera and that one was a little more hectic, but it was really fun getting to be with my friends and experiencing this cultural coming of age,” Benitez said. “It’s a really big cultural event for the Hispanic community so getting to celebrate it here at school where you don’t have to worry about finding this and that because we’re already providing the location, the food, so you just get to enjoy your time and dance and feel pretty.”

Benitez explained that even for students that aren’t Hispanic, the event is valuable as it helps to bring cultural awareness to the McCallum community.

“It’s nice to have students know about these things because it’s one of the most known celebrations of the Hispanic community,” Benitez said. “I feel like it brings us together getting to celebrate it, and you get to experience and share this event. That’s so important.”

After she graduates, Benitez said she hopes students will keep working with Señora A to organize this event that is such a meaningful tradition.

“It’s really fun because once you’re a quinceañera, you’re spending a lot more time with the other quinceañeras and you develop new friendships,” Benitez said. “It’s traditionally about a girl coming of age and becoming a woman, but part of this event is also about enjoying the time you have with the people you love since you’re about to be an adult.”

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Elizabeth Nation.

KEEPING TRADITIONS ALIVE: As a part of the quinceañera on Saturday, members of Ballet Folklórico performed a surprise dance. Freshman Elicia De Leon who is a member of Ballet Folklórico was unable to participate due to an injury but still partook in many of the festivities.

“It was a really welcoming party,” De Leon said. “We had lots of families there, lots of food. Everyone brought food who could. There were people who weren’t even related to participants that came just for fun. It was really enjoyable.”

De Leon has had a quinceañera before and said that the one on Saturday shared many similarities with hers. De Leon expressed how important the McCallum Quinceañera is for many girls who may not be able to have one without it.

“I just appreciate it so much how they showed the girls support and appreciate our traditions through the Mexican culture and our Mexican dancing,” she said.

De Leon also noted the role that the quinceañera plays in helping raise funds for Ballet Folklórico.

“Funds raised go to our dresses and shoes, and it’s just a really enjoyable event along with being a fundraiser,” she said. “The quinceañera and Ballet Folklórico is an important part in keeping up those traditions and keeping them alive for Mexicans and Hispanics in general, and so I really appreciate anyone who donated to it.”

Caption by Lillian Gray. Photo by Sylvia Hurtado.

SURPRISE DANCE: Junior Phoenix Vaughn dances with his girlfriend, Abigail Peacock for the McCallum Quinceañera held this Saturday. As the two are both members in McCallum’s Ballet Folklórico, they helped to organize the event and perform the ‘Baile Sopresa’ which was the traditional ‘Surprise Dance’ or Flash Mob.

Caption by Josie Mullan. Photo by Lilah Lavigne.