The Bridgewater-Raritan High School held a wonderful, vibrant event, celebrating diverse cultures and traditions during International Night on Thursday, March 19.
Students, staff, and families from diverse backgrounds gathered in the high school’s Vaughn Stapleton Gymnasium to share traditions and learn about one another’s communities. This event highlighted diversity, community bonding, and cultural appreciation through traditional food, performances, and cultural displays.
The event celebrated the rich cultural diversity of the Bridgewater-Raritan High School student body and was thoughtfully organized by the Co-Presidents of the Italian Honor Society, Juliana Imwalle and Nicholas Pearsson, with the support of all Italian Honor Society officers and Grant Dequina, the President of the Filipino Club.
According to the prime supporters of the evening, Giuseppina Bologno, the high school’s Italian Teacher and Advisor to the Italian Honor Society, and fellow Italian Teacher Giuseppina DiMartino, “students transformed the large gym with colorful and creative displays, decorating tables with eye-catching boards that highlighted their cultures.”
“All participants enjoyed a variety of delicious traditional foods and experienced engaging performances that brought each culture to life. The atmosphere was filled with excitement, curiosity, and appreciation. The International Culture Night was a wonderful opportunity to deepen our understanding, connection, and unity of all the cultures in our community,” Ms. Bologna said.
Incorporating elements of Spanish, Indian, Latin, Portuguese, Chinese, and Korean culture, the event was extremely successful and celebrated many diverse traditions. Each station represented its culture by offering traditional food. The Korean society shared their culture through tteokbokki, a traditional Korean street food, rice sticks, and fried chicken. Similarly, the Indian culture station from the club Voices of India showcased their culture through samosas, a flavorful mango drink, and a special rice dish incorporating traditional Indian flavors. The Spanish culture station, hosted by the Spanish National Honor Society, featured a range of Hispanic food from salsa and chips all the way to churros.
Additionally, the stations displayed posters to teach attendees about their culture, including a few facts, famous people, and important traditions. This event was a wonderful blend of flavors and traditions that attendees truly enjoyed.
A student at Bridgewater-Raritan High School who attended the event, Dimah Alhamami, said: “I loved watching the way different cultures came together at our school gym, and I had a lot of fun learning about everything while enjoying traditional food!”
In addition to amazing food, students prepared outstanding performances with traditional songs and dances, including Bollywood, K-pop, and other traditional music styles. The Korean Society displayed a wonderful drum showcase, representing a popular celebratory ritual in Korean culture. The President of the Spanish National Honor Society, who was also in charge of the Spanish station during the event, expressed, “The karaoke was my favorite part. I loved dancing and singing to familiar Hispanic music, notably Selena, along with my friends and members. I had a really great time!”
In the end, the International Night was a huge success with a multitude of cultures expressing themselves through food, music, and other fun, creative activities!
