The Middle School Diversity Club was established during the 2020-2021 academic year with the first cultural food assembly taking place in 2022. Teachers Olivia Hamaoui and Jose Martinez serve as the faculty advisors.

Ms. Hamaoui and Mr. Martinez advised the students to not be afraid to try food they’re not familiar with and ask questions about the different dishes. The tables were organized by cultural region with a myriad of culinary delights from members of the Diversity Club. The menu included echpochmaks (triangle pies filled with meat and potatoes from Russia/Tatar), butter chicken and rice, vegetarian biryani, sushi, pork with yellow rice and beans from Puerto Rico, les madelines, sweet potato pie, coconut rolls, pita with spinach and cheese, docinhos (Brazilian sweets), Italian pastries, and much more.

While enjoying the cuisine, students were able to walk around and read notes that were placed in front of each dish explaining the type of food, its ingredients, and the significance of the dish to a student’s culture. Following the assembly in their advisory meetings, all the students were asked to fill out an exit form questionnaire asking what their favorite dish was, if they tried a new dish and what it was, what they learned about their classmates’ background and heritage, and what was the most enjoyable part of the event.

“Thank you to Olivia Hamaoui, José Martinez, and the MS Diversity Club for organizing another outstanding Cultural Food Festival,” said Middle School Director Brian Christman. “What a bounty of great food and also a fun community builder. The event keeps getting better and better.”