Islip’s Italian Fall Fest brought together students from both Islip High School and Islip Middle School, as well as their families, in celebration of Italian language and culture in the school community. The event, which took place on Nov. 18 in both middle school cafeterias, proved a fun night filled with food, games, raffles and crafts related to different Italian cultural aspects.
The evening began in the Montauk dining room, where attendees were welcomed by event organizer Giovanna Stanco, a seventh grade Italian and Spanish teacher. Stanco shared what being Italian means to her, and how this led her to teaching not only Italian, but also Spanish. In preparation for the event, students from grades 6-12 were invited to take part in an Italian poster contest, organized by Stanco, with the prompt “What does Italy mean to you?” Students submitted unique posters that represented Italian culture and its influence on their own lives or on the world. On the night of Italian Fall Fest, students and their families were able to admire the posters and vote for their favorite.
Members of the Marconi Lodge #2232 of Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America (OSDIA) donated pasta and set up a display table at the event for families to view. Geraldine Iannello Graham, the district chairperson of the Commission of Social Justice, a branch of the OSDIA, also attended and showcased contributions of Italians and Italian-Americans. After viewing the various displays and posters, the families enjoyed delicious pizza, pasta, and cookies donated by Islip’s very own Amore Pizza, Angela’s Pizzeria and Oconee Diner, as well as focaccia bread baked by high school family and consumer science classes.
Passing through a hallway lined with displays created by the Italian classes, the participants then moved into the school’s second dining room, where different crafts and activities took place, including three craft tables: creating Venetian masks with feathers and rhinestones, designing mosaic coasters inspired by mosaic artwork found in Italy, and creating a map of Italy using pasta. Students smiled and laughed as they played Tombola (Italian Bingo), answered trivia questions on a spinner wheel, competed in Pin the Pepperoni on the Pizza and guessed words related to Italy in a game of Italian Wordle.
Towards the end of the event, Stanco announced the winners of the Italian poster contest. Finishing in first place was freshman Sharika Karmakar, who designed an eye-catching representation of famous Italian landmarks such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Colosseum and the Rialto Bridge. Tied for second place were two seventh graders, Shahmeer Asif and Livia Sosnicki and. Fellow students cheered on all three winners on as they received their prizes. Next up were the highly anticipated raffles, which students excitedly hurried to receive when their number was called.
The night ended with teachers, parents and students in a circle, hand-in-hand, dancing a lively traditional Italian tarantella. Laughter filled the air with what seemed to be the perfect culmination of the evening – having fun enjoying the wonderful Italian culture.
Date Added: 12/12/2024