William Floyd High School recently held the William Floyd World Showcase, an event designed to celebrate the cultural diversity present in the school district. The event, organized by Kimberly Massa, chairperson of World Languages/ENL, along with her department, brought together secondary students and their families for an evening focused on learning about world cultures through interactive activities.
At the showcase, booths representing various countries and regions were set up by clubs, teams, and teachers. These booths featured games that introduced new languages or customs, traditional crafts, demonstrations, face-painting, and small prizes for those who participated. Students who staffed these booths practiced public speaking skills and deepened their knowledge of different cultures.
Culinary Arts students at William Floyd High School prepared many of the food samples available at the event under the supervision of teacher Marie Martin. Local restaurants such as La Placita, Mama Lisa’s, and Carlo’s contributed additional dishes. This allowed attendees to taste a variety of authentic foods while learning about their cultural significance.
The east gym was used as a performance space where student dance groups from both high school and middle school performed. The program also included a performance by Nican Mophua—a professional dance group led by student Yazmyn Caceres and her family—which brought added authenticity to the evening. Cosmetology students demonstrated hairstyles traditional to the Dominican Republic.
“These performances offered students a stage to express their heritage and share artistic traditions with the larger community,” said Mrs. Massa.
Mrs. Massa further explained her motivation: “My vision was to create an event showcasing the different cultures that make up our student body, while also exploring new parts of the world where students may want to travel in the future. My department and I wanted a fun event, where students and faculty alike could tune into their heritage, while exploring and learning about a variety of new ones. We wanted everyone to be able to taste new dishes, see and enjoy multicultural performances, meet new friends, create meaningful projects, and learn something new and exciting about an area they have never explored!”
She concluded: “Events like this foster empathy, curiosity, and respect; qualities essential for an increasingly interconnected world.”
The William Floyd World Showcase aimed not only to celebrate culture but also provided practical experience for students in organizing events and presenting information publicly.