TEWKSBURY — Last week, students at Tewksbury Memorial High School traveled around the world — without leaving the cafeteria — at the recently revived Culture Fair, hosted by the world language department.
The fair, which hasn’t been held since 2019, gives world language students the chance to demonstrate their language skills to peers, family and neighbors through interactive poster projects that explore a cultural facet of a country of their choosing that speaks their language of study.
“It engages the community in the work that the students do in world language. It allows them to show off their hard work and their knowledge,” explained Latin teacher Paul Early.
Spanish teacher Graça Dudley sees the fair as an opportunity to apply their language skills — most students have taken three to five years of French, Spanish or Latin when they participate in the fair — while diving deep into cultural concepts and making them digestible for a general audience.
“We have several standards for language acquisition, and two of them — community and interdisciplinary connections — are harder to achieve in the classroom. This is one way they can get that,” she said.
Students at TMHS have the opportunity to take advanced coursework in French, Spanish, and Latin. They can also choose to participate in the rigorous Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy program, which recognizes students who have achieved proficiency in English and another language.
Students participate in a reading, writing, speaking, and listening test to demonstrate their skills to colleges and employers.
Megan Cunningham, a 2020 TMHS graduate, visited the fair to catch up with teachers and see student work. She earned the State Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction in Spanish and English, and credits the world language program with leading her to graduate with degrees in Spanish and engineering from the University of Connecticut.
“Getting my Spanish degree made me an infinitely better student,” she said.
“It’s not just about learning another language and culture, but understanding other perspectives and points of view — something I do every day as an engineer.”
Students served cultural food, built models, and created interactive crafts for fairgoers to engage in their projects and learn more about specific cultural aspects of Francophone and Spanish-speaking countries, including art, which ranged from Greco-Roman to modern street artists.
Latin students dressed in Roman togas and helped participants create their own cursed tablets out of tinfoil.
Students who are English language learners were also invited to participate. Karen Hodgson, who leads the English language education team and noted that over 40 languages are represented in Tewksbury Public Schools, explained that ELL students have the added challenge of understanding a new culture.
“That’s a whole part of their world that they have to adapt to aside from language,” she said.
ELL students participating in the fair conducted an analysis of how the American school system compares to that of their home countries.
“I learned so much from them through this project,” Hodgson said.
Principal Andy Long was excited to bring the fair back and noted that program was just as important for the community as it was for students.
“We’re celebrating cultures and diversity, but it also shows us how similar we are across the globe.”