For Elwood-John H. Glenn High School’s annual International Night on March 4, students were invited to bring food or create a station to showcase their heritage or a country they were interested in. More than 350 community members – including fellow students, families and faculty – gathered in the cafeteria that evening to sample an exciting array of foods from 50 stations representing Belgium, Colombia, El Salvador, France, Germany, Greece, Guyana, Haiti, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Pakistan, Palestine, Puerto Rico, South Asia, Spain and Sweden as well as Asian fusion, Ramadan Iftaar foods and tacos.

To entertain the crowd, Nicole Correia’s American Sign Language students interpreted Shakira’s “Waka Waka,” while Nicole Gendjoian’s classes sang “La Bamba” while senior Cooper Knorr played the song live on electric guitar.

Coming out on top as station contest winners, judged as having done the best job showcasing their culture with pride and enthusiasm, were the team of Samantha Gwon and Bijou Roman, for their Asian fusion station; and the team of Aaleshan Jamal, James Mossey, Khoshal Rametra and Ishan Shah, for their Indian and Italian food station.

“This was a great way to embrace our diversity and celebrate all different cultures from around the world during National World Language Month,” Gendjoian said.

“We are thrilled to have had the opportunity to share the food of our cultures with so many different people,” Gwon said. “We were excited to see so many people be open to trying different kinds of food that they have never eaten before. We also tried to add some cultural decor to our stand to represent South Korea, Japan and China.  

“What a great way to bring people together, by celebrating each others’ cultures,” added Roman.

“In a community like Elwood, it’s very hard to find people that share the same heritage as you,” Shah said. “For me, an Indian American, I was able to find friends that were willing to display our unique culture to the community. It is important to embrace one another’s cultures and traditions. The International Night initiative was a success and we look forward to it in succeeding years.”

Date Added: 3/21/2025