The Carnevale festival was recently celebrated at Becton Regional High School! This event is very popular around the world, in countries such as Italy, Spain, Portugal, and many more. As the world language department of Becton consists of Italian and Spanish classes, it was only appropriate to bring this cultural event to the students in those classes and to share the festival’s spirit with the entirety of the school. The art department at Becton also participated in the event to match the extravagant clothing of Carnevale. All departments, teachers, and students contributed to the event to make sure that Becton’s Carnevale of 2022 was a major success!

As a newly added aspect of Becton’s Carnevale, the Becton band and chorus joined the festivities for the first time this year! They provided live music fitting for the event, as the band played a Latin piece named El Preso, while the chorus sang the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from the movie Encanto. Mr. Corey Moore, the head of both the band and choir, explains that the classes were very interested in the music and were able to prepare and develop them in only a few weeks. Moore shares “I just enjoyed being a part of the event and being able to see the school spirit all come together!”

The art department also celebrated Carnevale with Becton this year! During the week of Carnevale, Dawn Savincki, a Becton Art teacher, taught her art classes about the different types of Carnevale masks from different countries and how each of them celebrated Carnevale. She then had the students prepare their own festive masks, which they were able to wear at the event. Savincki enjoys collaborating with the other departments and being able to get together and celebrate the cultural traditions within the school. Savincki shares, “[The event] is a nice send-off for winter and a great way to welcome spring!” She plans to have the art students possibly make more intricate headpieces for the event in the future!

In addition, Rachel Kehoe from the Art Department also celebrated her first year of Carnevale at Becton! In her classes, she taught about the history of Carnevale and the different masks and costumes worn for the celebrations. Her students then created their own masks in class as well, similar to Savincki’s art classes. The digital photography class was able to focus on candid photography and photographed students preparing their masks during this event as well. Kehoe shares that she personally most enjoyed the food prepared by the culinary department and explains “Next year I hope to create even more decorations in class and have our fashion design course make costumes.”

The Italian classes at Becton were also a part of the celebration, and Paola Bonanno, a Becton Italian teacher, explains how her classes participated in the event of Carnevale. Bonanno personally does not celebrate Carnevale in the United States since her move here, but she enjoys preparing typical Italian sweets for her children called “chiachiere” this time of year! In her classes, she taught her students about the culture behind the holiday of Carnevale by watching videos of celebrations in Italy, reading articles, and working on the Carnevale-themed masks. Since her Italian classes and students cannot be taken to other countries to celebrate and experience Carnevale, Bonanno feels that it is important for Carnevale to be brought to Becton for the students. She shares that her favorite part of this year’s Carnevale was: “Definitely the mask making because it showed students’ creativity along with the big party we held outdoors with music and food.” Although nothing is set in stone yet, Bonanno guarantees that next year’s Carnevale will continue to expose the school to different cultures and traditions!

Debbie Sanchez, a Becton Spanish teacher, joined in on the festivities with her Spanish classes as well. Sanchez does not personally celebrate Carnevale as it is not widely celebrated in America, but she has had the chance to “dance along with the beautifully decorated floats” and partake in a parade in Mexico City before! During her classes, Sanchez teaches her class about the history of Carnevale and compares the Spanish celebration of Carnevale with other countries that also celebrate the holiday. Her students also made appropriately themed masks to wear at the event. Sanchez explains “I believe Carnevale should be celebrated at Becton High School because it showcases culture from around the world…and it instills happiness and enjoyment to all of those who participate in the event!” Her favorite aspect of the 2022 Becton Carnevale celebration was that the event was hosted outside and that the participants were able to enjoy the nice weather along with the live music and food. For next year, Sanchez hopes to have more student involvement and include more departments as well, and maybe even have Carnevale activity stations set up for students to have the opportunity to create and take souvenirs with them!

After two years of not being able to celebrate Carnevale due to the tumultuous Coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions it implemented on all aspects of life, Becton Regional High School was able to successfully celebrate the holiday again! The world language, art departments, and the teachers involved came together to organize and arrange the event. As proven, they all put much effort into the performance and execution of Carnevale. Now, the staff and students can look forward to the upcoming school year’s Carnevale celebration!