What a joyful gathering it was at Pine Bush High School when students and family members in the English as a New Language program shared their culture and celebrated the diversity of the district at the annual pot luck dinner.

Cathy Aller, ENL leader for the district, welcomed everyone to the celebration and introduced her ENL team. The ENL teachers and students participated in the “Spotlight” video which was produced, directed and edited by the district’s newest ENL teacher, Juan Weissenberg of CVMS.

The countries and cuisines represented included: Haiti, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Colombia, Guatemala, Ghana, India, Pakistan and Ukraine, among others.

The night’s festivities included face painting, animal balloon making, a photo booth and a BOCES table with information on English as a Second Language classes for adults. But the real star of the night was the international food! It was a feast, with homemade foods from many different countries.

“This is always one of my favorite nights,” said Superintendent of Schools Tim Mains. “The welcoming feeling, the camaraderie is just so endearing. And the food is out of this world.”