From left, senior Madison Slater, school-based Clinician Jade Melito, Madelyn Henderson and her father James Henderson smile while they serve passing students at Fair Haven Union Middle and High School’s first-ever Cultural and Ethnic Food Fair on Monday.
Sophia Buckley-Clement / Sophia Buckley-Clement / staff photo
FAIR HAVEN — Fair Haven Union Middle and High School students had a chance to expand their palettes at the school’s first-ever Cultural and Ethnic Food Fair on Monday.
Held in the FHUMHS lobby, students were invited to indulge in foods from cultures across the world. Students, staff and family members were all invited to make and share a cultural meal.
The event was hosted by The Belonging Group — a school club founded in February by senior Myrriam Hussnane — and featured Korean and Syrian dishes alongside other appetizers like chili, pita and cucumbers with hummus, and chips and salsa.
“(This fair) is something that I definitely would have benefited from as a kid in elementary school. In a way, it’s very healing to me — especially since I didn’t have this sort of thing growing up of being able to show off my culture and my food and things like that. So, it’s good for other kids coming into the school who are ethnically diverse,” Hussnane said.
Though Hussnane was not able to make the event in person due to illness, her clubmates expressed gratitude for all the work she did to make the fair happen.
According to Principal Ben Worthing, a supporter of The Belonging Group and occasional participant, Hussnane first brought the idea for the fair to him in hopes of raising awareness for the group and encouraging new membership.
Worthing added that the club and the fair are both very much in line with conversations that FHUMHS has been having with the community over the past year on how to build upon the school’s inviting culture and climate.
“We’re hoping that this brings experiences to these kids that they might not easily find in the local community. And then, I think, also, we’re hoping that it helps people who maybe live in the area and have a family that’s coming from a completely different culture, but they might not own local businesses. We hope this gives them an outlet to be able to come in and share their life experiences with our students,” Worthing said.
The Belonging Group’s adviser, school-based clinician Jade Melito, said that the group meets weekly during a lunch period and primarily talks about diverse issues in students’ personal lives, at the school and across the world.
Melito said she was pleasantly surprised by the turnout at the event, and that there was much more engagement with students outside the group than she expected.
“(This event) gives students the opportunity to explore foods of different cultures, increase their awareness of all the other cultures and widen their palate so that when they go out into the world, they’ll be more interested in trying different dishes,” she said. “It also allows for a different option than what is provided in the cafeteria on a day-to-day basis.”
Azure Wood, a junior club member, said that she participated in the event to support Hussnane, but added that she believes it’s crucial for a small, predominantly white community like FHUMHS to understand and celebrate others’ cultures.
“It’s great to encourage the beauty of different cultures coming together and just say, ‘I see and understand you,’” Wood said. “The more experiences people have with other cultures, the more respectful and understanding they (become). It may just be food, but introducing it to people, I think, is really important.”
Worthing thanked parents and staff for their help with the fair, adding that he is excited to see how it evolves next year.
Melito said that next year she has hopes of involving more students and staff, as well as local restaurants that serve cultural foods.
And though Hussnane is graduating this year, she wished the best for the group that keeps this new tradition going next year.
“A huge way my family connects with each other is through food. I’ve always been taught that food is a really good way to connect with people and your community,” Hussnane said. “I just hope that this helps students broaden their insights. This town is very small, so it’s important to show that there’s more out there in the world than just this small community.”
sophia.buckley-clement
@rutlandherald.com