MONROE, CT — Masuk High School students celebrated their rich cultural heritage during their annual Culture Fair on Wednesday, April 30, when 70 enthusiastic students set up booths showcasing traditional clothing, artifacts and food samples from their respective countries.
The school cafeteria crew offered a variety of international dishes allowing students and teachers to taste something new. The booth presentation took place during all three lunch waves and attracted a large group of learners.
Students made colorful posters and decorated the tables with family souvenirs and other traditional objects.
At the end of the day, the school gym became a stage for great performances, including:
Masuk Slavic Band: Daniel Kocan on accordion, Mathew Colberg on clarinet, Daniel Wilenski on violin, Filip Wadolkowski on bass, and Antonis Konstantinidis and Alexander Wulinsky on percussion.
Song 1: W Moim Ogródecku, a Polish folk song that celebrates the journey of life through the use of flowers, horses, and other items one would find in the village garden.
“Pandanggo sa ilaw” dance from Philippines: translated to the “Dance of Lights,” Gianna Petillo, Lexa Dizon and Alaina Sy will perform a dance, while elegantly balancing candles on their hands and heads.
Chinese form 1: Angelina – Chinese martial arts/wushu forms, form 1: The Nine Chain, or Jiulianbian, is a traditional weapon used in Wushu, featuring a series of nine metal segments linked together. The form emphasizes fluid, whip-like movements, requiring precision, speed, and control to create powerful strikes, entanglements and defensive techniques.
Masuk Choir- “Bonse Aba”: A traditional folk song from the Bemba people of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The song is a tribute to faith and spiritual belonging. We celebrate the belonging that the many cultures of the world bring together to make Masuk such a culturally rich school.
Chinese form 2: The Wushu straight sword form, known as Jian showcases elegance, precision and fluidity. It emphasizes agile footwork, swift thrusts and graceful circular movements, blending both offensive and defensive techniques to highlight the sword’s light and flexible nature.
India dance: Ruthika Gidhuruti, Rayhaan Shaik, Mansi Sannappanavar and Marylynn Thattil.
A member of team India said, “today we are excited to share a vibrant dance from India, a country known for its rich and very diverse culture. We will be dancing to songs from famous Bollywood and Tollywood films, celebrating the music, energy, and creativity that have captivated audiences around the world.”
“I was so excited to present our dance to everyone and I am so happy that it was, again, a successful culture fair where we got to spread our “The 2025 culture fair was a great experience as I enjoyed seeing everybody’s culture and representing my own. I had a great time performing with our group and I can’t wait to do it again next year!”
Masuk Slavic Band: song 2: “Marusia,” A Ukrainian folk song that portrays the story of Ukrainian Cossack warriors returning from battle to a woman named Marusia, who gathers berries in the garden.
Masuk Choir: “An Die Musik” a traditional folk song from Germany about the love of music and how it can bring everyone together, just like today — many cultures together as one.
Soccer – Natalia and Valentina DiScala, Ivana and Gary Escalante:
There are over 200 nations that participate in the FIFA World Federation of soccer. It is estimated that over 250 million people worldwide currently play soccer and it is by far the most popular sport in the world.
Volunteers demonstrated their skills at soccer juggling and the winner went home with a multi-national soccer ball.
“I am so impressed every year with the student performances,” Assistant Principal Ian Lowell said. “This year, we added new dances from the Philippines to accompany the always popular Indian dance, a Slavic Band performance, Chinese martial arts, and international music from the choir.”
“Our students are very proud of their heritage and are so incredibly talented,” Lowell said. “Mrs. Leszczynska too deserves so much credit for all of the planning and support she provides to help make this event a success every year.”
French teacher, Iga Leszczynska, “What makes the Culture Fair so special is its international, festival-like atmosphere that brings people together in a joyful way. For me, it evokes wonderful memories of my high school and college years spent traveling and performing with my folk music and dance group back in Poland. I feel incredibly grateful to pass on a small part of that experience to my students.”
“Special thanks to our assistant principal, Ian Lowell,” she added. “This fair wouldn’t have been possible without him. Thank you as well to the cafeteria staff for the delicious international menu, which was complemented by food samples prepared by many of our students and their parents, who spent hours the night before getting everything ready. You are all truly amazing.”
Daniel Kocan, a sophomore, said, “I had a wonderful time representing both Ukraine and Slovakia this year for the Culture Fair. This event is truly something I look forward to every day, since it allows me to present my souvenirs, clothes and the instruments of my heritage.”
“Students were very engaged, looking at pictures of Slovak castles, watching traditional Ukrainian dance, and dancing as I was playing the accordion,” Kocan said. “I am honestly amazed at how much this fair has grown, and how much it has improved from the work of the students and teachers at Masuk.”
Emily Clark, a fellow sophomore, said, “representing the United Kingdom was amazing! I handed out traditional English breakfast tea bags, which ran out in two lunch waves. This was the first time I presented the UK booth in the fair. My T-shirt had a picture of the Gow family crest, which was the name of descendants on my grandpa’s side of my family. As a sophomore, I have English, Scottish and Irish ancestry.”
“I had a great time representing China this year,” said Angelina Chen, a senior. “This event is something that I’ve looked forward to all year, as it allowed me to present different Chinese martial arts forms that students and faculty really enjoyed. I am amazed at how much this event allows student to share who they are and celebrate the many backgrounds together.”
