District Unites for Annual Cultural Heritage Celebration

Written and photographed by Dave Porecca

It was a packed house Wednesday, May 14, when District 401 held its annual Cultural Heritage Celebration at Elmwood Park High School.

The first-floor hallways were filled with displays put together by D401 students highlighting their diverse cultural backgrounds.

In the main auditorium, the many cultures that make up the 401 community came alive on stage:

• Guest performances by the Lajkonik Polish Song and Dance Ensemble and the Creative Kids Studio (Ukrainian dance) dazzled the audience. 
• Proud parents looked on as the John Mills Dual Language Classes K-4 displayed their talents.
• EPHS students were recognized for their Seal of Biliteracy and ACCESS achievements. 
• District 401 students and community members delighted the audience with a Filipino folk dance, an Ecuadorian folk dance, a Polish piano piece, a Ukrainian piano piece, and an Arabic graduation song.

Meal Shared at Cultural Heritage Celebraiton

The program ended in the cafeteria with a raffle and — of course! — an abundance of delicious food representing D401’s many cultures — prepared and served by District parents, faculty and friends.

“I think it was a huge success,” said EL/Bilingual Director Natalia Gomez. “We had a very big turnout. I heard great feedback during and after the event, which made me very happy, because there’s a lot of work that goes into planning the event. May is a very busy time, but we like it to be a culminating event so we can honor a lot of test scores, especially our Seal of Biliteracy winners and Access scores.”

For Ms. Gomez, what makes the event special is that the celebration is for the entire 401 community, regardless of background. 

“I want all to feel welcome and to have a sense of belonging,” she said.

Thank you to everyone involved in organizing and planning this year’s celebration, including Ms. Gomez, District Language Coach Dominique Byrnes, Elmwood Park Public Library, Bilingual Parent Advisory Committee (BPAC) members, and all of the District’s EL and foreign language teachers and parapros!

For more photos of the 2025 Cultural Heritage Celebration, please click the button below: 

Cultural Heritage Celebration Gallery