Kareena Joseph '23
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, the Global Citizenship Club held a party commemorating the numerous ways Spanish-speaking countries celebrate the Day of the Dead.
The party took place in the cafeteria from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, and all students were welcome to enjoy food and snacks from various Spanish-speaking countries while also watching The Book of Life. The club also had a piñata filled with candies for students to enjoy after the movie and party finished. Given that this was the club's first cultural event of the year, one could say that it was both enjoyable and educational for all the partygoers.
The Global Citizenship Club wants to be able to bring back old traditions as well as start new ones. Moderator Mrs. Brussi said, “This event was inspired by two former Spanish teachers at Fontbonne Hall Academy. They created a whole unit of study dedicated to the Day of the Dead.” In the curriculum, they taught things such as grammar, vocabulary, and cultural aspects. The unit ran from October through November, with students completing a project at the end.
The project consisted of students making their own personal ofrendas, also known as altars to honor the dead. These ofrendas were then showcased to the school, with students including things like pearl bracelets and necklaces on their personal ofrendas.
The Global Citizenship Club seemed like the ideal space to bring back traditions like this, as well as make new ones. Because the Day of the Dead celebration is now a club event rather than a class activity, the club hopes to not only keep it as a new tradition, but also reintroduce it into the school’s Spanish curriculum.
When asked about the turnout, Mrs. Brussi stated, “I was hoping for a little more students… I will not lie. But I also want to be optimistic and take this into consideration, because this is the first time the Hispanic committee has had the opportunity to arrange an event. But we aim to do more next year, and try to make this a tradition that every ethnic group in the school gets a time and place to showcase their culture inside the Global Citizenship Club.”
Jenna Walcott '23, the club's president, stated in an interview, “We were pleased with the turnout; there could have been more students and faculty, but the party was still enjoyable. The food was wonderful, and it was fantastic that we were able to pull it off in the end. In the future, the club intends to organize additional cultural activities throughout the year so that every student feels included.”
An attendee at the event, Mia Robin '26, said, “I was really happy with the party, and it was a lot of fun! My favorite part was the piñata, but I wished they had gotten more food. Despite the fact that there were not many people there, I stayed until the end and liked a lot of it, including the movie."
Overall, the event was a lot of fun for both the club and everyone who attended. The club hopes to have more cultural events like this in the future because it allows students to appreciate and learn about not just their own culture but also their peers' cultures as well.
If you are interested in joining the club or getting involved, you can reach out to Mrs. Brussi, Helen Kalamaras, Jenna Walcott, Mr. Foppiani, or Lauren Polito. Also, keep a lookout for information regarding the club's next cultural event, which will be dedicated to Italian-American culture.
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