On Friday, March 18, the Italian department held their annual Italian Feast. Teachers, parents, students, and alumni gathered in the Aux Gym to eat Italian food and celebrate Italian culture—a Bethpage High School tradition going back decades.

Usually, the feast is held on or around St. Joseph’s Day, a significant day in Italy. The feast lasted from first period to ninth and people came and went the whole day. For periods one to four, the food was solely from that of students but during the lunch periods the Italian Department supplied catered food.

All of the teachers work to make the feast as enjoyable as possible for all their students. Ms. Piazza summed up the opinions of all of the teachers saying, “No matter what heritage my students come from, I want them to be inspired from my passion for Italian and be able to enjoy the feast no matter their background.”

Each year Ms. Rito, Mrs. Calio, and Ms. Piazza work for weeks to prepare for the feast and make it a fun experience for the students. The teachers also work every year to provide some source of entertainment. In years past, we’ve had a Lamborghini that students could sit in and take pictures with, traditional Italian dancers, and an Italian opera singer. This year, Ms. Rito organized a soccer player from the Long Island Rough Riders to sit at the feast and speak to kids about college or his career.

Senior Italian student, Lynne Richardson, said, “I’m upset that after four years, I just had my final Italian feast.” Lynne’s quote represents the feelings of all the seniors in Italian classes who will miss the annual feast. Most of us plan to return as alumni just because we do not want to miss this amazing experience.