Cultural Fair 2024
By Hailee Shah, Staff Writer
// Dozens of stalls representing different countries lined the walls of the gyms while students eagerly accepted snacks from the country representatives.
Acalanes hosted its annual Culture Fair on April 17. The event was as expansive as ever, spreading across the entire quad in front of the stadium.
“The cultural festival is a yearly event that we have at Acalanes that’s really meant to feature the different cultures we have at Acalanes outside of normal equity meetings,” Diversity Board Liaison and senior Sean Shvo said.
The fair offers many benefits for all attendees such as an opportunity to learn about new cultures, a time to ask questions, and fun activities to participate in at each booth.
“My favorite part was seeing the differences and similarities between the cultures. I also liked comparing aspects of life and foods to those in the US,” frosh Claire Statton said.
The festival, though easy to attend, is a time-consuming task to organize. Thus, Leadership students worked closely with the world language classes to increase participation in this event and decorate the quad.
“The diversity board and Leadership [put it together]. This year they worked pretty closely with Ms. Holland. She was a huge help in having her Spanish classes opt-in. Leadership does a few of the booths, but not all of them, which is awesome,” Leadership Advisor Katherine Walton said.
Many participants brought cultural items and dishes from their respective countries to share with attendees.
“We made a special drink named Inca Kola… [And] we brought a food named causa. It's made of potatoes, chicken, eggs, and mayonnaise,” Peru representative and frosh Boris Contreras said.
Many students, including Shvo, represented countries which they used to live in. This firsthand experience allowed for many booths to provide an authentic glimpse of each culture to visitors.
“I moved from Israel, so I know a lot about the traditions and lifestyle,” Shvo said, “Besides that, [the fair] is a way to learn more about other students. I couldn't tell you the first things about some of the countries here, but there is a lot to learn from the people who have moved from there and have families there. It’s just a way to connect.”
The Cultural Fair ultimately served as an opportunity for students to spread awareness of various customs and traditions practiced both around the world and within the Acalanes community.
“At Acalanes, we always have the conversation about how people should be able to show up as they are. The idea is that we can learn, respect, and honor each other; I feel like the Cultural Fair is an extension of that, while also celebrating. It’s a celebration of who you are and your traditions and I think it’s a positive opportunity for us to affirm people and their backgrounds,” Walton said.
