Hundreds of students, staff, parents and community members gathered at Issaquah Valley Elementary School last week for the school’s first-ever Multicultural Fair.

“It was such a successful event for us,” wrote Susan McDonald, vice president for communications of the school’s PTA. “We are thrilled with the participation of so many volunteers and for the turnout of over 300 people who attended the event.”

The event included more than 20 cultural displays, food samples, arts and crafts, music and several performances, including the Spanish-speaking club “Cougar Compadres” doing a reading with ELL specialist Julie Enyeart and a martial arts provider who helped student volunteers learn some martial arts moves. Other features included a man who created Korean calligraphy on rice paper using traditional brushes and ink, a fashion show and more.

In all, more than 20 countries were represented, McDonald said.