volunteers
MHS hosted the International Festival in its cafeteria on April 11 at the conclusion of the school day in order to showcase the diversity of Methacton School District. Many students in the district participated, representing their cultures from various countries worldwide.
Presenters set up booths to showcase information about their regions, and most brought varieties of homemade traditional foods for the attendees. A few presenters performed traditional music and dance forms from their cultures. Attendees received passports upon entry and were tasked with visiting each booth. After each booth visit, attendees got stickers to check booths off their passports.
MHS junior Melina Karagiannopoulos’s booth representing Greece received much attention. Along with her family’s help, Melina showcased a variety of dishes native to Greece, namely a sweet bread called tsoureki and a puffy pastry filled with feta cheese called tiropita. A special type of iced/frothed coffee made with the Greek coffee brand Nescafé was available for sale. In addition to representing her culture through her booth, she also performed the traditional dances tsamiko, karagouna, sousta, and sirtaki in a group.
Widespread community support and involvement were on display as many district families and staff members were present. MHS sophomore Chelsea Lian, a volunteer and attendee of the fair, said she enjoyed the event.
“The International Fair was really fun! I loved the music, trying different cuisines, and learning more about different cultures! I hope that next year there will be more people and a wider variety of cultures,” she said.
Mr. John Conran, a Methacton administrator as well as a key coordinator for this fair, talked about the event making a comeback.
“This event has been held in the past and was paused during COVID. We thought that it was important to bring it back because we could highlight the different cultures that make up the Methacton community”.
Mr. Conran added that Methacton will work towards increasing participation in the International Fair so that the district can learn about the various cultures practiced around the world.
Several high school student volunteers, especially those part of service clubs such as the National Honor Society, Key Club, and Student Ambassadors, were present for the event to help out with setup, directions, and cleanup.
Below is the participant roster.
Name
Country/Region
Performance
Layma Mittal
India
Kathak (dance form)
Shourya Mitty
India
Bandish (vocal)
Pooja Chanda
West Bengal
Melina Karagiannopoulos
Greece
Tsamiko, karagouna, sousta, sirtaki
Zaina Kagimu
Uganda
Daniel Roure
Spain
Casey Petko
Scotland
Neelaveni
India
Skit
Rasika Sivakumar
Tamil Nadu (South India)
Singing (with percussion) and dancing
Lucas Rundle
Brazil
Pastor Joan Davis
Jamaica
Red Robertson
Germany
Emma Ryan
Ireland
Instrumental ensemble
Bidhika Moktan
Nepal