SELLERSBURG — Food is one of the most essential parts of every culture.
With an appetite to celebrate diversity, Silver Creek High School students shared dishes from around the world during the school’s second Culture Fair on Friday.
The fair was started by one of the students in the school’s Diversity Advisory Council that formed last year.
Students were encouraged to dance to music from other cultures to celebrate all of them at Silver Creek.
They wanted students from every culture to feel included even though from different countries.
At the fair, students either made a traditional dish from the countries of their heritage or they brought popular snacks to share with the 100 students who got their ticket for the fair.
“(Food) is a way to appreciate every culture, a way to show how the cultures are different,” said Stefania Gama, a senior at the school and the president of the Diversity Advisory Council. “I know a lot of Hispanic countries are similar, but the food itself is very different. It shows diversity between all the different cultures.”
Gama was sharing her Mexican culture through serving Aguas frescas and Horchata along with churros with one of her friends.
The diversity club was created last year and provides a safe space for students so they can honestly express themselves regarding race and gather feedback regarding school culture and curriculum as it relates to race and culture.
“I never thought in a million years as a person of color going to Silver Creek, we would have something like this happening and taking place,” said Ramiro West, a sophomore and the vice president of the Diversity Advisory Council.
“Because the history of Silver Creek it was a predominantly white school. We’ve gotten to the point now where we can accept people of different races and people of different ethnic backgrounds to come to the school.”
West’s mother is African American and his father is Panamanian. Having an event like this is important to him because he can celebrate both of his cultures with others.
This year, West chose to enjoy the fair and try some of the foods that other students brought. But last year for this event, he served plantains for the students to try.
“Silver Creek is a very diverse school,” said Virginia Gama, a Spanish language and heritage teacher and a collaborator for the Diversity Advisory Council. “We have students that come from Guatemala, Peru, Mexico, Honduras. We do have a big population.”
When planning for the fair, Virginia Gama said that the students were excited for the day because they can share a part of themselves with other students.
“Students have said that after we started having this, they feel more at home,” Virginia Gama added. “They feel that now students can understand why some things are different and how we use it in different ways.”
The culture fair is a great opportunity for people to come and show where they come from and their culture without being scared, Stefania Gama added.
“I feel so much unity between everybody and I think that everybody feels very appreciated right now,” Stefania Gama said. “When I was younger, there wasn’t that many Hispanics at school, but now our diversity at school has grown a whole lot.”