Every year Atherton celebrates diversity with a day of Worldfest. It’s a way for students to showcase what makes them proud of their backgrounds and foster a deeper understanding in others. Worldfest features tens of booths for countries that students work hard to exhibit through presentations, food, music, art, games, clothing, and more.

Every booth deserves its own spotlight for the determination that went into its creation. The students who presented Italy strived to give multiple different perspectives on their culture. They had the goal of portraying Italy as more than a home to pasta, but as a place of deep history and customs.

Benjamin Vallejo (10) was one of many students committed to representing Italy’s culture through games, foods, art, and music.

“We all have custom shirts, we made posters, did research, formed games, and provided a bunch of good foods,” said Vallejo.

The students highlighting Italy seek the importance of making their unique customs known, and to do away with typical stereotypes.

Bianca Rosa (10) wanted to signify the overlooked aspects of the country that are important to her background and individuality.

“Many people don’t really know of the islands off Italy like Sicily. I wanted to bring the light to that because I feel like Sicilians don’t get much recognition, and this is a good opportunity to connect people with Italian culture, but also Sicilian culture,” Rosa said.

Rosa also shared traditions that nurture a sense of belonging in Italy and tie individuals to their roots. She explained that the tiramisu, panettone, pasta, and meatballs that were shared at her booth are commonly eaten leading up to the Feast of the Seven Fishes, an Italian American celebration of Christmas Eve with dishes of fish and other seafood.

“For Christmas, Italians do the Feast of the Seven Fishes, where we only eat fish on Fridays,” Rosa said. “A lot of these foods are what we eat prior to that because we have a whole day of fish.”

Worldfest is an enriching and captivating experience that gives students awareness of the diversity of those they spend everyday with in school. It promotes an open mind and strengt

hens appreciation for the combination of culture that has shaped our everyday lives.

“Being here makes me able to show that I am proud of my culture,” said Rhodni Rhodes (10).