Jan. 13, 2025
By Farah Afifi
Staff Writer
This article is part of a four-part in-depth reporting project about culture.
Three cultural clubs and organizations at LHS stand out for their dedication to encouraging cultural awareness, promoting diversity and building a sense of community among students.
Interested in learning about different cultures or being recognized for speaking a foreign language? Consider joining these extracurricular groups:
International Culture Club
Meeting time and location:
Third Tuesday of every
month in Room 112
Spanish teacher Señora Veiga, who advises the International Culture Club, said the club furthers cultural awareness through field trips, in addition to activities and presentations at monthly meetings.
Last year’s field trips included a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and a baking competition at Lyndhurst Middle School.
Veiga said the club welcomes all students who are interested in learning about different cultures, meeting new people and visiting new places.
“We are very lucky to live near New York City and very cultural areas,” Veiga said. “If you want to eat any kind of cuisine from any kind of country, you have it as close [as] New York, so you can start there.”
Veiga said she enjoys advising the club because she likes exploring different cultures and visiting other countries.
“I bring in my travels and background to add to some of the presentations we have in the club’s [meetings] and my love of different kinds of foods,” Veiga said.
Junior Chloe Sanchez, who is the president of the International Culture Club, said she likes her position because the atmosphere of the club is easygoing and her role enables her to learn more.
She said one of her responsibilities as president is communicating clearly.
“I make sure we have solutions like [the] BAND app for better communication,” Sanchez said. “If there is a problem, I’m going to try to fix it.”
Sanchez said she hopes club members will expand their knowledge and feel comfortable speaking their minds.
“Our club is a fun place to be in, and we hope more people would like to join,” Sanchez said.
Italian Club
Meeting time and location:
First Thursday of every
month in Room 119
Italian teacher Ms. Percontino, who advises the Italian Club, said, as a first-generation Italian American, she brings her cultural background to her position.
“My main goal is [for the students] to learn about the culture and all different parts of Italy. Not many people know that Italy has 20 regions, and those regions are almost mini countries throughout all of Italy, so there [are] so many different cultural foods and dances,” Percontino said.
She said open-minded students who want to eat different kinds of foods, have fun and share their own experiences should join the club, which is open to all students.
“All of the [students] who either are an Italian descendant or don’t have Italian descendants [notice] how alike all of the cultures are to the Italian culture,” Percontino said.
Senior Alejandra Ramirez, who is vice president of the Italian Club, is of Colombian and Venezuelan descent. She said she joined the club as a sophomore to expand her knowledge about Italian culture.
“Italy is a very nice place. When you hear about… the foods and architecture, everything is really beautiful, and I knew I wanted to be a part of it,” Ramirez said.
She said she values the input of other club members, using their feedback to plan activities and events.
“As a leader, you have to also include their choices so they can enjoy it more,” Ramirez said.
World Language Honor Society
Meeting time and location:
Third Thursday of every
month in Room 119
Italian teacher Mr. Raguseo, who co-advises the World Language Honor Society with Spanish teacher Señora Rojas, said the main objectives of the World Language Honor Society are to recognize high achievements in Spanish and Italian and stimulate interest in studying languages.
To qualify for the World Language Honor Society for Spanish, students enrolled in Spanish III or higher must maintain at least an 85% average during the three semesters prior to induction.
For Italian, students enrolled in Italian III or higher are required to attain at least a 90% average during the three semesters prior to induction.
Once accepted into the World Language Honor Society, members volunteer at the Parks and Recreation field. From September through November, they coach and play soccer with special needs adults on Wednesdays from 6-8 p.m.
Raguseo said the service component is key to membership in the organization.
“We fundraise throughout the year, [and] we collect socks for the homeless,” Raguseo said.
He said there are many benefits to learning a second language.
“It helps with your memory and communication [in addition to] understanding people from other parts of the world and their cultures and being respectful to other people,” Raguseo said.
Senior Amelia Sanchez, who is president of the World Language Honor Society and was inducted her sophomore year, said her main responsibility as president is getting members involved in fundraising activities.
“Whether it’s selling pumpkins, baking brownies or attending our volunteer soccer, it’s definitely to get everybody doing stuff in the society, making sure everyone’s contributing and also helping out in our induction ceremony,” Sanchez said.
She said her primary goal for the organization is to do more fundraising than last year.
“We [hope to] raise more money for the scholarships for the seniors and get T-shirts for them,” said Sanchez.
