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Successful Cultural Heritage Celebration Night sees great turnout

students on stage for Ukrainian/Polish poem
Sam Britten, Marketing & Publishing Specialist

EPCUSD 401’s recent Cultural Heritage Celebration Night saw a great turnout with multiple backgrounds represented. The district hosts the event every year to celebrate its diverse population and is a community favorite. The event began with performances that included a Mariachi band, traditional Ukrainian and Igorot Filipino dances, songs and much more. 

“They were all so great,” said EPCUSD 401 Bilingual/English Learner Director Natalia Gomez. “I love that it was a variety of dancing, music, songs and poetry.”

student performing a traditional Ecuadorian Dance

Elm Middle School student Luciana Cevallos performs an Ecuadorian Marimba dance (D401 photo: Dave Porreca)

After the performances, the crowd made its way to the cafeteria where community members shared their cultures by bringing in homemade dishes. The district also had food catered by local businesses. 

“We were very proud to have representation from community partners as well as internal school community participants,” said Gomez.

students performing a traditional Igorot dance

Elmwood students Marian Kristine Medrano and Amilia Roman perform an Igorot Filipino Folk Dance (D401 photo: Dave Porreca)

Students who recently earned the Illinois State Seal of Biliteracy or Commendation Toward Biliteracy were also honored at the event. A record number of students earned biliteracy honors this year in five different languages. Read more about that here

All cultures are welcome at Cultural Heritage Celebration Night and we encourage families who want to participate next year to begin thinking about how they would like to be involved!

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