Many backgrounds, but one universal family celebrated at Buffalo school’s Culture Day

Catholic Academy of West Buffalo features one of the most diverse student populations, if not the most diverse, among any Catholic school within the Diocese of Buffalo. Many enroll in the school with English as a second language, or it’s a language they are only beginning to learn.

But during the school’s third annual Culture Day, held Friday, May 10, there was a universal language being spoken in the gymnasium – the beat of drums and other percussion instruments.

“It’s so soothing to my soul to know that the kids are from all over, and they took part in the drumming. I’m so happy about it,” said Grace Turner of Dynamic Drum Arts of Western New York, who brought several drums for students to play, while other students held assorted pieces of percussion owned by the school.

This drumming session was one of several activities held during Culture Day. Students would also go on a simulated tour of the world, moving from classroom to classroom, where they would see various displays of information collected by individual classes.

Students were issued mock passports that included their names, school photos, and information about their own backgrounds. After visiting each classroom, students were to jot down what they learned about the country that class researched.

“Each classroom picked a country that they’d research. They were to learn about the country that they’re researching, the language spoken, the family tradition,” said Beh Meh, the English as a New Language Coordinator for Catholic Academy of West Buffalo. “The kids have been working on it for a couple of weeks now., and today is the last day.”

The festivities continued with an evening session, which featured Irish and Polish dancers, and various ethnic foods.

Culture Day is a chance for students to celebrate not only other cultures, but their own.

“A lot of our students come from different backgrounds, and at times some of our students who are born in the United States did not realize that their families are from different places,” said Beh Meh. “During this time of the month, the kids are doing research about themselves, asking their parents where they’re coming from, and trying to find out their ethnic background.”

On this day, students had the option of wearing ethnic-specific outfits. Father Ronald Sajdak, Vicar Forane of the diocese’s Buffalo Vicariate, visited the school wearing an African dashiki shirt. It’s one of about 25 he has collected over the years, many being gifts from African friends.

The school very recently welcomed a new family from Uganda, enrolling three children into the student population.

“Everyone’s welcome here at Catholic Academy, and we celebrate that diversity,” Fr. Sajdak said. “There are a lot of people who feel very uncomfortable sometimes in diverse environments. But here at Catholic Academy, you know, we celebrate that diversity. We celebrate our commonality and baptism in the Lord, too.”