The Culture Fest is an event put together by the school’s administration, staff members, and the student government, among many others. The purpose of this event is to celebrate the diversity of our school and to celebrate the different cultures of everyone at FDR. This event will be happening all day on June 13th, and on this particular day, there will be a special schedule for classes. There will be refreshments, music, games, and a lot more. Although every student and staff member is invited to this event, and automatically registered for this event, students alongside a teacher are able to have their own events within the overall event; you are able to participate in this event by hosting a room for something you are passionate about or want to celebrate! 

Now, a brief interview with Ms. Williams, who is one of the coordinators of the Culture Fest that will be happening at FDR on June 13, 2022!

The New Dealer: What brought about this event, and why is it called Culture Fest? 

Ms. Williams: This event was originally supposed to be the FDR Science Olympiad, but after coming out of the post-George Floyd movement and Covid-19, I thought it would be nice to create an event that would celebrate all of us. Allow all of us to have the opportunity to learn more about each other and dispel some misconceptions that people may have. A fest, or festival, is a period of celebration usually established around culture and traditions.  So, putting that idea together with the notion that we are celebrating each, and all of our cultures, Culture Fest was born!

The New Dealer: What are some challenges you have faced so far in planning such an event?  

Ms. Williams: The large size of the school is the biggest challenge! There are a lot of students and staff members!

The New Dealer: What do you hope to achieve with this event? 

Ms. Williams: I hope to create an event that will shift the culture of our school in every facet of​ its organization. 

The New Dealer: Are there going to be more events like this in the future at FDR? Do you mind telling us some things you have in mind? 

Ms. Williams: I would certainly like to have more events like this at FDR.  Future ideas include: Culture fest 2023, Latin American Heritage month celebration, bringing back the AAPI festival, and creating an event for Black History.

The New Dealer: If a student is interested in being a part of the event, what are the steps they have to go through?

Ms. Williams: Students should consider what they want to do– and then contact the person below that most closely aligns with what they want to do:

• Stephaine Acciarito– all cultures of Western Europe (sacciarito@ schools.nyc.gov)
• Rozana Zarbailova– all cultures of Eastern Europe ([email protected])
• Kevin Zhou— all Asian Culture ([email protected])
• Akram Abdelaziz/Garth Wolkoff– all cultures of the Middle East and South Asia ([email protected], [email protected])
• Luis Batista— Latino Culture and Spanish-Speaking Caribbean Culture  (LBatista9@schools.nyc.gov)
• Eiren Tasher– Black Culture of the diaspora and English-Speaking Caribbean Culture   ([email protected])
• Greg Bernardi/Olivia Hurd– American Culture, Sports, and all subcultures   ([email protected], [email protected])
• Thomas Meyers/Kendra Ayala– Auditorium/Multicultural show  ([email protected], [email protected])

See you all on June 13th!!! This will be an amazing event!!