As of right now, our music director/teacher, Michelle Castillo, will be let go from her position within Narbonne High School. Despite being an educator brought in by Prop 28, on September 19, 2025, our director was told there weren’t enough funds to pay for her position. The reason? Low school enrollment. 

That means the end of not only the beginning strings and piano classes, but of Raices de Oro Verde– our school’s mariachi and folklorico group founded in the fall of 2022.

Within the group’s three year lifespan, it has doubled in members and gone on to perform all over Los Angeles County. From local gatherings such as Harbor City’s Night Market and Tree Lighting Ceremony to recruitment shows and music symposiums at schools such as Fleming Middle School, Dodson Middle School, and Garfield High School. The group even performed for the California Teacher Association’s El Sol Caucus– a group that promotes, “public education, the recruitment and retention of Hispanic, Latina/o/x, Chicana/o/x Educators through the state of California.” 

With over 30+ students this year, the group has been working hard to bring music from all over Latin America to life. The passion the students have is unlike any other, working tirelessly to bring musical scores to life for audiences on and off campus. 

However, it’s all over. Despite having over eight performance requests in the first month of school, this is the program Narbonne’s administration have decided to cut. The one building community, uplifting student voices, teaching valuable life skills, exposing students to experiences like performing on a stage or going beyond the school’s city limit. The one giving students an opportunity to celebrate their cultural roots and learn how to play instruments and dance folklorico. This one. The one that matters. 

With that being said, we’re done trusting our administrators to make decisions that truly have our best interests at heart. Cutting this culturally diverse performance group that us students have worked so hard for is like a slap in the face. 

We want our director reinstated. And we want her reinstated now.