The RV Italian Department hosted its annual Italian Heritage Month Celebration throughout October. The multitude of activities throughout the month gave opportunities to appreciate Italian culture, not just for students taking Italian, but for everyone at RV.

Events like a cooking demonstration of a classic Italian dish, an after-school movie night with gelato and trivia on Italian culture during I/E took place throughout the month. Decorations have also been set up in the language hallway right outside room C225.

“We do an Italian celebration in order to share all aspects of Italian language and culture,” Italian teacher Signora Nale said. “It’s an opportunity for our students to celebrate [with] various activities throughout the month where they can enjoy…events outside of the classroom.’’

“This month we have a variety of events,” Nale said. “We are doing a field trip, a walking trip through Philadelphia, our students will be able to try various cultural dishes, and then also we are visiting the Italian Immigration Museum.”

The events for Italian Heritage Month are not just limited to students. They also have events for staff members to indulge in Italian culture including Coffee and Cannoli. 

“There’s not a ton of places or times inside the building [in] which staff stop everything they’re doing and get together and just have a social experience that is… based on pleasure, but also a celebration of education or continued learning’’ theater teacher Michael Pliskin said. “We’re here celebrating Italian heritage… and we’re all there just having a good time in the same place.’’  

Many students taking Italian joined the club to get an immersive experience that this month-long celebration of Italian culture offers.

“ [I joined] because I’m in Italian class… and it only made sense to… and I wanted to do something that involved Italian culture,’’ junior Naima James-Dales said. “The cooking [demonstration] we did last year was really fun… and [I went to] the movie [night] because I didn’t go last year.”

The Italian Heritage Month celebration is a well-loved annual tradition here at RV by students and staff. The different events students get to choose from can help them better understand the different aspects of Italian culture. If you have any questions email Mrs. Nale or Ms. Arpino or stop by C225.