Cultural diversity across the Western Québec School Board is a strength that schools and centres greatly value, take pride in and celebrate throughout the school year in many creative ways. Fresh initiatives and events are always in the works as both staff members and students think of new approaches to educate, celebrate and open minds.
Last year at Hadley Junior/Philemon Wright High School, student life animator Mario Cuglietta was approached by two students with the idea of hosting a cultural festival. Immediately, Mr. Cuglietta thought this was a great initiative and planning took off shortly thereafter.
This April, the school hosted its 2nd Cultural Festival with great success. Participants proudly showcased cultures from Lebanon, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Great Britain, Poland and Africa. There were also tables hosted by the student-led Bear Lodge as well as the Congo and the Muslim student alliances. There was also a special LGBTQ+ table with a long banner for both staff and students to write their answer to the question, “What is an ally?” The Muslim Student Alliance (MSA), dedicated to educating the school community and leading numerous activities to effect change in society, was also a popular table for visitors.
Planning begins two months in advance, starting with a callout for interested students. Mr. Cuglietta, along with principal Dodie Payne and Hadley’s dance and drama teacher Maria Maclean led the preparations for this year’s festival. They hosted several meetings leading up to the festival to support students as they gathered information and prepared their displays. On the day of the event, participating students spent the first three periods setting up and finalizing their tables, and in the final two periods, classes came through to visit the Cultural Festival.
The celebration took place in their large gym and the tables were set up with an array of specialty foods, beverages and cultural artifacts such as clothing, jewellery, kitchenware and more. Many of the students represented their culture by dressing in traditional clothing, and large displays were stationed at the tables loaded with interesting and educational information for all to read.
It takes a great deal of time, energy and collaboration to organize events as large as Hadley Junior/Philemon Wright High School’s Cultural Festival, but “seeing the smiles on students’ faces makes it all worthwhile”, shared Mr. Cuglietta. Fostering inclusion, openness to learning, and student leadership are of high priority across the WQSB as these crucial skills will serve students well far beyond graduation.
Special thank you to Maria Maclean and Mario Cuglietta for providing the information for this article.
