Georges P. Vanier School in Donnelly hosted a fun event to introduce their students and the public to delicacies from around the world.
Taste of Vanier/Heritage Day was held April 1 in the big gymnasium from 5-7 p.m. It was an event open to the public, with each guest receiving 10 tickets to sample foods. Additional tickets could also be purchased for $1, with all proceeds given to the Smoky River Regional Food Bank.
“We have been hosting this event for well over 10 years,” says principal Carolyn Giroux.
“We host it on a three-year rotation. Our goal is to give every student in junior high the opportunity to research and present their heritage once.”
Giroux says the purpose of the event is to have students research, learn about, and connect with their own culture or a culture of interest.
“They are tasked with seeking and presenting a variety of topics from their respective heritage or country ranging from political, economic and social aspects, in addition to expanding on the languages(s), traditions and – of course – food and nutrition,” Giroux explains.
“Students step out of their comfort zone to present their projects to a panel of judges prior to the open house.”
The community open house is organized so visitors can visit each different station, where they can learn about the student’s research and enjoy food from the country, and experience various cultural traits including attire and music.
“This year we chose to have our Grade 7 and 8 English and French Immersion students engage in the project,” says Giroux.
“We took time from our Wellness classes for students to prepare their research and information.”
Giroux says the students benefit greatly from the experience.
“They enhance their understanding of their own culture or of another,” she says.
“Students demonstrated active citizenship by working directly and engaging with the greater community during the open house. They gained an appreciation for not only their own culture but also those of their peers.”
Giroux was pleased to see so many of their students’ parents attend to support their children.
“We estimate that over 200 people circulated through the gym and we are extremely pleased with the turnout,” Giroux says.
“This project meets cross-curricular outcomes, ranging from Social Studies, Wellness, Languages (ELA/FLA), CTS, Science and Math.”
She adds character education, intentional education of ethical values, social-emotional skills, and responsible behaviours, is also being learned through the presentations and sharing with the community.
“We had a panel of judges that circulated and interacted directly with the students during the afternoon ahead of the community event,” Giroux adds.
“They chose three groups from each grade based on the top scores from the rubric that was utilized. Additionally, during the evening portion of the event, community members were able to vote on their favourite presentation and their favourite food or product.”
As visitors explored the various booths, they were able to collect a stamp on their passport from each country they visited.
“Once their passport was filled, they could enter it into a draw,” Giroux explains.
“There was such a variety of countries it was amazing. We had a range of cultures or countries that we were very proud to host; Canada/Quebec, First Nations, Philippines, Ukraine, India, Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, and so many more.”
Giroux says she is exceptionally proud of the students for the work they put into their projects.
“The event was an absolute success and the students should be very proud of the projects they put together,” Giroux concludes.
“They were very excited to share any new information they were learning as they were researching. We saw that shine through during this evening.”
Emily Plihal
Local Journalism
Initiative Reporter
