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PDHS celebrates diversity during first-ever Culture Day event
By Carolina Saenz
Mounties Report
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As the Paris community grows, so does diversity in the area To celebrate this, Paris District High School (PDHS) hosted a Food and Cultural Fashion Show on June 1st
Organized by PDHS students, the successful event showcased an array of cultures through a fashion show while also providing a taste of various cultural foods donated by local businesses. Tanya Govedarica, Teacher and French Department Head, shares more details about this event. “Our hope is to ensure that our school space at PDHS reflects diverse cultures and identities. Hosting a food and fashion show that celebrates some of these cultures and identities within the school felt like a small, but impactful step we could make,” explains Govedarcia. “And what better way to bring people together than with food?” she asks
The student group called “Voices of Colour,” headed by principal James Merrick, as well as a few teachers, came up with the idea to host this first of its kind event at the school. “It took weeks to put together and all duties were split between members of the group. Everyone came together in an initiative to create something beautiful,” said Govedarica.
Approximately 150 students were directly involved in the event, out of which around thirty participated in the fashion show. A celebration of many different countries across Asia, Africa, South America, Europe, and North American were featured in the fashion show. Most of the food was donated by local businesses including Arepa Love, Jade’s of Paris, My-Thai, Johnny Greekos, La Trenza Tacos, Pita Plus Shawarma, Grand Bayou, Taco Bell, and Twisted Indian
Some foods were also brought from home and prepared by students, including a Caribbeanstyle corn bread. The Foods Class also prepared an Indigenous dish called “Three Sisters Soup” along with some biscuits “The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from staff and students. There was a very infectious energy in the air, and even some happy tears during the celebrations,” said Govedarica. There’s a lot of hope that this successful and certainly impactful celebration will become an annual event.
