Vegetables, spices and sauces lay on a kitchen table. Students break into five groups and grab their ingredients. The first step is to heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Next, students need to saute carrots, then slowly add the remaining vegetables and spices. To their relief, students begin to smell the savory aroma of Sicilian sauce, but their job isn’t over yet. 

They cautiously stir the mixture until the carrots are crisp and tender. Within a couple groups, students argue over who gets to use the majestical can opener, finally nominating one student, who carefully winds open each can and pours the remaining ingredients into the pot. 

One after another, each addition to the pot elevates the dish to a new level. A fresh aroma fills the room as it transforms into an Italian paradise. 

One student makes her way around the room, observing each group’s creation. She hands out extra spices and comments on the varying creations. Next, she shows each group where to find extra utensils and serving supplies. Each student serves themself a helping of their creation: traditional Sicilian pasta. 

For senior Alaina Sample, this recipe is a tradition. Her great-grandparents emigrated from Sicily many decades ago, yet the importance of keeping their Italian heritage alive still serves as a major part of her family. 

Making traditional Italian pasta is part of International Club’s new incentive to find unique and engaging ways to present different cultures to students. 

Sample has been a member of International Club for three years and now serves as a board member. Although this was her first time personally presenting, she has seen dozens of presentations given by other students. In the past International Club used presentations as their main form of sharing, but more recently, they have opted to add more interactive activities to better educate the audience. 

Before leading the group in making the pasta dish, Sample gave a short presentation on Sicily and shared where the inspiration behind the recipe comes from. Sample explained her great-grandparents’ story. 

“My great-grandparents were friends when they were younger in Sicily, and my great-grandpa moved here when he was eight, so they didn’t talk anymore because he was here and it was a long time ago. My grandma moved here a few years later, and coincidentally they were living in the same town, Johnstown, PA, and then they fell in love and were married for over fifty years,” she said. 

Although Sample does not get to see her Italian relatives very often, when she does, they always make sure to pay respect to their Italian roots. 

“I don’t really see that side of the family that often, but they always make pasta for us when we go,” Sample said.

Through her experience in the club, Sample is especially grateful for the club’s contributions to increasing awareness of different cultures. She also looks forward to the future plans of the club. 

“I think it’s great for people to educate others on their own culture and I’ve learned a lot of stuff from other people’s presentations that I haven’t known before. I like the idea of doing interactive presentations. We’re going to do one slideshow and then one fun thing like this,” Sample said. 

RHS social studies teacher Jason Milczewski has been the adviser of International Club for over fifteen years. As the club has grown and their resources have changed, International Club has gone through many changes. Milczewski shared this year’s plan for presentations.  

“This year, we’ve decided for every other meeting, one of our officers is going to do something different. For this one, Alaina picked a food presentation. [Next,] Aiden [Zapizek] is going to do a Halloween presentation. We are going to try to mix it up and have more than the standard PowerPoint-type presentations,” he said. 

Sample was the first board member to present using this new strategy. She shared her decision process when deciding what style of presentation to do. 

“I was thinking about interactive presentation ideas and I thought cooking would be a really fun thing to do, and pasta was an easier option to do because it doesn’t necessarily take long and it’s a staple in Italy. It’s fun to make,” Sample said. 

Senior Lilly Kayani has also been a member of International Club for three years. Last month, she presented on India, specifically the region of Kerala. Kayani looks forward to the improvements International Club will be able to make as COVID restrictions drop. 

“It’s fun to finally be out of COVID so we can get back to doing more interactive stuff,” Kayani said. 

Although this interactive angle is new to the club, Milczewski explained how the club finds students to present, both in the past and present. 

“What we do is find students who have experience with those cultures and have them present. We’ve had international exchange students every year. We have first or second generation students do it. We’ll also have students who just have a particular interest and who will do a presentation. We really try to run the gambit on student presentations over multiple countries,” Milczewski said. 

Another benefit that International Club provides is giving students more exposure to different cultures and the chance to learn about them. 

“We don’t have a lot of exposure to all things international at school, so it gives a chance for students who have a little more interest to have an outlet for that interest,” Milczewski said. 

Senior board member Taylor Creveling has been a member of International Club all throughout high school. Having close family living in England, Creveling especially enjoys learning about different cultures. 

“It’s really cool to hear about everyone else’s different backgrounds, and it’s really cool to hear about the cultures of different countries. I think it’s interesting, and I think it’s a fun club,” Creveling said. 

Milczewski encourages all students to join. 

“We are an open club. Anyone can come at any time. We always have snacks, and we always learn a lot. We encourage, especially underclassmen, to have some time to learn and also socialize,” he said.

International Club meets bimonthly in Mr. Milczewski’s room, C108. Their next meeting will be on Thursday, October 27 with a special Halloween presentation.