The Cultural Bazaar Revisited
Written by Emma Moniz, Class of 2026
One of the things that Global Learning Charter Public School prides itself on is its diversity. Two weeks ago, GLCPS hosted its 9th annual Cultural Bazaar, celebrating the many different cultures represented within the school. It is one of the best attended events of the school year, bringing in students, families, and other community members. The event boasts a variety of culturally relevant foods served and student artwork including a display of flags. It culminates with a student-run fashion show of traditional clothing from around the world.
When I spoke to high school students who attended the bazaar, they said their favorite part of the event was the food. There was something for everyone, and the diversity of the dishes from families and local restaurants was alluring to them. One student said, “I like that they have something from everywhere so I can sample a wide assortment of foods.” This student continued on to say, “with the wide assortment of food, I am able to try a lot of new things I would have never thought I’d be interested in trying.”
After everyone has enjoyed the many dishes offered in the cafeteria, they are summoned to the school’s auditorium where the international fashion show highlights traditional garb from several ethnicities within the school community. Staff and students walk the stage wearing culturally relevant clothing. Some students drape flags from specific countries over their shoulders as a way to celebrate the countries their families are from.
Some of the most interesting student work was showcased in the halls of the school. Arianna Cruz, Natalie Ixcuna Lux, Paul Lafrance and Noah Tetreault are GLCPS Student Ambassadors who all volunteered their time to make the Cultural Bazaar a success. They did everything from help set up the gymnasium and cafeteria to serving food to the hundreds of guests. They also created their own flags as part of the 7th grade’s flag exhibit.
The flag project doubled as both a piece for the Cultural Bazaar and as part of their project for Presentations of Learning. Each student was assigned a country for which they had to design a new flag that retained the character of the country to which they were assigned. This gave students the opportunity to strengthen their research, creativity and design skills. All four students said that they enjoyed the project, especially getting to create something that challenged them.
One of the special things about the Cultural Bazaar is that it celebrates the talents and skills of students and other members of the GLCPS community. Students really look forward to this event every year and cannot wait to prepare for next year.
Emma Moniz is a senior at GLCPS. As part of her senior internship program, she is writing news articles for and about the GLCPS community.
