• Home

The International Fair Highlights the Diversity of the Bronxville School Community

By Lia Gravier

May 11, 2022: On Friday, April 29th the Bronxville School PTA’s DEI Committee and the High School International Club hosted the school’s first International School Fair. The Fair was truly a homegrown event. Members of the school community volunteered to host a country table of their choice and were given simple guidelines for creating a table presentation. It was their passion and creativity that made the evening such an incredible success.

The countries represented included: Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, French West Indies, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece & Cyprus, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Nepal, Nicaragua, Poland, Puerto Rico, Serbia, Somalia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and the United States.

The nearly 300 Fair attendees received a passport, which were “stamped” with a custom sticker for each country that they visited. There was something to discover at each table, from the delicious taste of regional cuisine to performances such as Irish dance, to fun activities like fishing for Swedish fish and playing Korean drums. The Fair was the true embodiment of the phrase “community spirit.” The evening left everyone feeling the joy of living in such a diverse community.

The event planning was filled with acts of generosity. The custom stickers for each country were designed by Bronxville parent Paula Asturias and were printed and donated to the PTA by Bohdan Yaremko at Speedpro Printers. Yaremko, who is of Ukrainian decent, has been printing and donating stickers of the Ukrainian flag to organizations fund-raising for Ukraine. Kathryn Kempton reached out to Speedpro to see if they would donate the Ukrainian flag stickers for the benefit concert. Bohdan went above and beyond by also donating the passport stickers for the Fair.

The night ended with a benefit concert for Ukraine, which would not have been possible without the determination of DEI committee member Tatiana Castro Taboas. She watched the Ukrainian Chorus “Dumka” of New York perform on Saturday Night Live in February and made it her mission to bring them to Bronxville. For over 65 years the Ukrainian Chorus "Dumka" has been performing to preserve and cultivate the rich musical heritage of Ukraine. The Chorus has performed at concert halls around the world, including Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center in Washington DC. The Bronxville School PTA was honored to host them in our Village, for this very special performance.

The concert began with the Chorus singing the American National Anthem and the Ukrainian Anthem. During a break in the performance special guest Yulia Gerbut, recent evacuee of Ukraine, shared her story with the audience. She and her two sons, Max and Nikita, managed to escape Russian bombs and the horrors of war that raged around them. They left their home in Kyiv a few weeks ago, and their journey took them through the freezing weather into Slovakia and eventually to the US. They will be spending time in Bronxville with the Goodson family. Between the concert and Fair we raised $10,000 which the Chorus Dumka will donate directly to Ukraine.

Kathryn Kempton and Tatiana Castro Taboas, the DEI committee members who spearheaded this event said; “We were thrilled with the participation and want to thank the school community for their support.  It was evident from the table displays that every participant host was so proud of their selected country. Whether the table host was from that country, was a child of immigrants from that country, lived in the country for a year, spent childhood vacations in the selected country, or adopted the country through marriage, everyone took pride and care in representing their country of choice.

It was a huge success, and we were so thrilled to make this event happen. We want to thank the DEI committee co-chairs - Lia and Teresa, for helping us every step of the way. This event would not have happened without them. Special thanks to a fellow committee members Rekha Waggoner and Delphine Quieti for their support, and finally to Bronxville teacher Jiyoon Kim and the International Club students for their amazing participation in this event. We cannot wait for the second annual Bronxville International School Fair in 2023.”

 

Newsletter

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

MyhometownBroxnville reserves the right to monitor and remove all comments. For more information on Posting Rules, please review our Rules and Terms of Use, both of which govern the use and access of this site. Thank you.

The information presented here is for informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to present accurate information, myhometownBronxville, LLC, does not in any way accept responsibility for the accuracy of or consequences from the use of this information herein. We urge all users to independently confirm any information provided herein and consult with an appropriate professional concerning any material issue of fact or law. The views and opinions expressed by the writers, event organizers and advertisers do not necessarily represent those of myhometownBronxville, LLC, its officers, staff or contributors. The use of this website is governed by the Terms of Use . No portion of this publication may be reproduced or redistributed, either in whole or part, without the express written consent of the publisher.

Copyright © 2009 myhometownbronxville.com, All rights reserved.