2015 Cultural Event

The cultural event held on April 30th was a success! The event was a testament of what a great opportunity it is to be part of the Barberton City School district. It was a very moving experience to have all of the families of different backgrounds together. There was food from Mexican, Arabic, Ghanaian, Ukrainian, Serbian, German, and Italian cultures. There was also an activity that helped everyone meet each other. The highlight of the night was having students share their stories about how they moved to America and how BCS helped them.
 
Two students, Mavis Sugden (7th grade from Ghana) and Hajir Alhilali (9th grade from Iraq) gave speeches that brought tears to many eyes. Both students shared their moving stories of their struggles coming to America, not knowing any English, and how their BCS teachers and friends helped them make it. They had a difficult life and are working hard to make a difference and succeed, with the help of their caring teachers here. The common thing that everyone shared at the event was that they all came from different backgrounds. Whether it was themselves immigrating to America, their parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents – someone along the line had experienced the difficulty of leaving persecution or an impoverished country to  have a better life. They came to this country, not knowing the language, but learned how to survive so that they could make the most of their opportunity and give back to those in need. Both students from different spectrums shared their stories of how they wanted to be a nurse or doctor so that they could help others, and they both said that it was BCS that is helping them prepare for college so that they could achieve their dreams. This resonated with everyone at the event, because like these young students, they as well worked towards their American Dream and the Barberton community helped them make their dreams a reality. Deep connections were made between the families of different cultures and it is evidence of how wonderful and diverse the Barberton community is.It was amazing having the opportunity to witness such pride and appreciation of the community.