Community invited to May 15 Culture Fest

FERGUS – All are welcome to visit the high school here on Friday for an evening of performances, authentic cuisine, crafts and music. 

The community will celebrate cultures from around the world at Centre Wellington District High School (CWDHS) at the free event from 5 to 7pm in the school’s library. 

“This event will transform our school library into a global marketplace of ideas, featuring student-led booths, traditional music, interactive activities and a community potluck,” CWDHS teacher Alannah Sawatsky told the Advertiser. 

Culture Fest is organized by the high school’s Students of Colour Alliance (SOCA), and includes a week of activities for students leading up to a community event on May 15.

It’s the second year CWDHS has organized a culture week – last year the initiative was spearheaded by one classroom, and the SOCA club decided to expand on the initiative this year.  

SOCA members Avani Upadhyay and Leyah Beeston-Thompson are taking on all the logistics and planning for Culture Fest, including budgeting funds, allocating roles to other SOCA members and allies, organizing  activities throughout the week and polishing off all the details. 

“We want all the students at our school to feel represented and that their cultures are respected and [for them to] feel comfortable sharing that part of their cultures with their peers,” Beeston-Thompson said. 

Culture week for students

Every morning this week students are welcomed in to class with a different cultural song from across the globe, Upadhyay said.

On Monday, students decorated flags, on Tuesday they played a country trivia game, on Wednesday they were set to check out country displays in the library and on Thursday there’s a Culture Kahoot planned in the library. 

The kahoot involves “a bunch of trivia about different cultures,” Beeston-Thompson said, “including things like food, geography, culture and festivals and in the end the winner of the kahoot will get a prize.” 

Students also have the chance to eat food from around the world all week:

• Monday is Caribbean food: jerk chicken, plantains, and Jamaican yellow rice;
• Tuesday is Asian food: chicken teriyaki, stir-fry vegetables and spring rolls;
• Wednesday is Latin American food: beef carnitas or chicken tacos and Mexican street corn salad; and
• Thursday is Indian food: butter chicken, naan and basmati rice. 

“It’s like a trip around the world for culture week,” Beeston-Thompson said. 

The meals will be served by SOCA members and prepared by the chefs in the school cafeteria, with some help from hospitality students.

Community Culture Fest

Culture Fest will have something to offer community members of all ages, Beeston-Thompson said, including henna stations and a scavenger hunt with prizes. 

SOCA members, allies and teachers have created display boards about countries they either lived in for a long time or have an ethnic background in, Upadhyay said. 

Beeston-Thompson said SOCA members are hoping for a large turnout, and have put posters up around town to encourage people to come out for the May 15 event.

“I think its really important for our community to know about the different diversities that are in it, and it’s important for also our younger generation to grow up knowing about the importance of having different cultures in the world,” Upadhyay said. 

Attendees are encouraged to come wearing their own cultural attire. 

Community attendees are not asked to bring anything for the potluck – that will be covered by SOCA members, who will bring food for everyone to enjoy, Upadhyay said. 

“And we’ll have other catered food and snacks there,” Beeston-Thompson added. 

For more information about Culture Fest contact Upadhyay at 1avaniupad@gmail.com or Beeston-Thompson at leyahthompson@gmail.com.