Caption: The seniors, with their kinder buddies, start the assembly along with the 9th graders singing the Brazilian Independence Song. [by Dr. Cristina Meier]
by Nicholas Liu
SP, Brazil – On the fifth of September in 2026, PACA celebrated the Independence Day of Brazil by laughing, praying, singing and showing their pride in this nation and to thank God for what he has done in this country with a special school event.
Tradition holds that the Brazilian director teams up with the Portuguese teachers to bring history to life in an event that not only celebrates Brazilian history, but honors what Jesus has done for those who believe in Him.
The people who planned everything were Renata Portella, the Curriculum Coordinator and a long time Portuguese teacher at PACA, and Wesley Penteado, the Brazilian director at the school. Portella organized the script for the entire assembly which took a lot of work.
As the Brazilian director, Penteado oversaw the entire program and provided management for the practice schedule in the weeks leading up to the event. Many challenges happened during the planning of the assembly, but also many things made Penteado proud.
“The biggest challenge we had was to organize a rehearsal with all the grades involved in the assembly without affecting classes,” said Penteado. “The Brazilian teachers did an excellent job planning the assembly and preparing the students.”
Caption: Moments captured during the Brazilian Independence Celebration at PACA on Friday, September 4, 2026. [by Dr. Cristina Meier]
Penteado’s supportive role was instrumental for the teachers in the understanding of their roles in the event.
“Wesley is the Brazilian Director, so let’s say he was the overall leader of the event. My role was to prepare the slides and lead the presentations for the junior and senior students,” said Portella.
One thing that impressed Portella the most was the presentations by the different grades. She highlighted the seniors and ninth graders in her recollections.
“I enjoyed seeing the young students singing the Independence Anthem from memory,” Portella said, “I also liked the seniors’ performance for its creativity, as well as the third year class’s contribution. It reflects the Brazilian spirit.”
The event began with a short video from the 11th grade which transitioned to a welcome speech by Wesley Penteado, who explained the importance of this day.
After the speech, the ninth graders started singing the Anthem of Independence while the president of STUCO, Melissa Souza, brought the flag into the gym at the head of the procession. She was followed by the other seniors and their kinder buddies. They walked together, hand in hand, from the side entrance to the gym across to the opposite side and down toward the front of the gym. They turned to face the audience and joined in the song with everyone else.
A senior student who participated in this event was Benjamin Hatcher. As a third culture person (someone who lives within a mix of cultures in his daily life), Hatcher really enjoys and understands the significance of the independence of Brazil.
“Brazil’s Independence Day is very important to me. As someone who was born in Brazil, I have celebrated this special occasion since I was very young.” Hatcher said, “For me, it is a time to come together with family and friends, both inside and outside of school, to honor and celebrate our country.”
After the high schoolers did their performance, the kindergarten, first and second grade students began their independence video, which was a simple message for the parents to see their children be part of this wonderful event.
The fourth and fifth graders started singing songs filled with joy, reflecting the practice and effort to remember all the words from memory. The songs were chosen to demonstrate that the Brazilian love and pride for the country is still alive from generation to generation.
“Águas de Março” was what the fourth graders sang and “Brasil Nosso Lugar” was the song the fifth graders sang.
The third graders participated in the event by doing a video of Brazilian music to show their appreciation of the nation.
This was followed by the seniors’ creative presentation of “Who is the Brazilian?” Filled with rap music, this little play showed God’s love in the founding of this nation.
The eighth graders started explaining some interesting facts about the Ipiranga Museum which is in the Ipiranga neighborhood in São Paulo. This video made students and parents understand how their independence began and ended. How their curiosities and questions were answered through a short video
After this presentation the tenth graders introduced a short video focusing on the need for prayerful intercession on behalf of Brazil. They closed their video with a special prayer for this country.
In the final closing ceremony the sixth grade class, along with preschool students, began singing the Brazilian National Anthem with everyone in the gym.
And to finish everything, Mr. Stephen Meier, the director at PACA, closed the event with a prayer for PACA and thanked God for His work in Brazil.
