UN BON NUIT!

Hauppauge High School held its 17th International Night on Thursday, April 14, 2016. Teacher Christine Rigaud began International Night as a means to unite the French, German and Spanish Clubs while promoting cultural acceptance and understanding among the students. Since its inception, International Night has become more than Language Club Advisers Christine Rigaud, Helen Aigen and Danielle Cardi ever could have imagined. “Not only does it unite language students, it unites the entire community,” stated the teachers. “It promotes cultural awareness, acceptance and understanding by exposing our students to different customs and traditions. We give them an opportunity to experience firsthand something that they may never have been exposed to otherwise.” The entertainment changes each year depending on our students; but this year, they sang international songs and choreographed and performed cultural dance routines. They also provided face painting and a piñata for the younger guests.

International Night was run almost entirely by the students under the guidance of their language club advisers. Each club member brought in a special dish, which had a cultural significance to him/her. The name of the food and its origin were listed in front of each dish that was served. The students also provided beverages, obtained donations, sold raffle tickets, and on the night of the event, served and cleaned up.

All of the raffle prizes were either purchased in other countries, while the students and teachers were on their school trips around the world, or were donated by local businesses. The students began collecting donations in January – as they do annually for the event. “We are very grateful to the community businesses that support us every year.” said Rigaud. “While some of the students are nervous at first about asking for donations, they quickly learn that the community is always willing to help. These students become ambassadors for our school by helping people understand what International Night is really about.”

Another one of the goals of International Nights is to raise awareness about Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. A portion of the proceeds from International Night are donated to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation each year. (www.ccfa.org) Each June, the French Club also participates in the Crohn’s and Colitis walk to help fund research.

“As an International Baccalaureate (IB) school, it is very important for us to teach our students to be global citizens and think about the greater good. We are very proud of all of the work that they do for the community,” said the club advisers.