A water fight broke out recently near the football field at Oak Lawn Community High School — but this fight was born of tradition and camaraderie, not anger.
The combatants were members of the school’s Polish Culture Club, which started meeting this year. Students at Oak Lawn over the years have established clubs for Muslim, Arab, international, Black and Hispanic students, but it was the first time a group at the school came together to celebrate Polish heritage.
The recent soaking the students engaged in was a way to mark Smigus-Dyngus, which translates to “Wet Day” in English. The festivity, which represents spring and new beginnings, is traditionally celebrated in Poland and other European countries the day after Easter. In Oak Lawn, the event was delayed until the club’s next meeting.
Besides being fun, the Smigus-Dyngus water war also was a chance to learn more about ancestral traditions, said Chris Kuchyt, a history teacher who co-sponsors the club.
Another co-sponsor, English and world languages teacher Jesenia Kolimas, whose father is from Poland and mother is from Mexico, said Polish language isn’t typically taught at public high schools, and many club members get exposed to the language and culture of their ancestors at Polish schools. She agreed to support the club as an extension of those efforts.
“I wanted to help the Polish community flourish,” Kolimas said. “I really wanted them to be seen as supported.”
The club was started by sophomores Klaudia Latocha, Kasia Bienas and Klaudia Turza. The three all were born in the United States, though their parents emigrated from Poland and taught them to speak Polish at home. It’s a way to share Polish traditions and heritage with friends who either grew up with the culture or joined the club because they wanted to learn more about it, the founders said.
For Latocha, the club is a way to share that sense of community.
“I like it because we get to gather around with (people of the) same nationality but also who aren’t,” she said. “In Polish school, I liked learning about my culture and my friends and I just thought of doing a Polish club so everyone can be invited to learn.”
“Anyone in the school would be able to come here and learn,” Turza added.
The group gathered to paint Easter eggs and celebrated Three Kings Day in January by decorating white paper crowns, and the best-decorated crown earned one member a basket of goodies. They’ve created buttons stamped with “I love Poland” and sold paczki on Fat Tuesday.
“We have so much more than our history behind us,” said club member Amelia Wiski . “People use history against us to make fun of us. This shows we have a beautiful culture and are more than just our history.”
Among those who joined to learn more about Polish culture was Savannah Saldana, whose parents are from Mexico. She said many of her friends are Polish.
“I like the food a lot,” Saldana said, adding she’s visited with many of her friends’ families. “They’re always open to teaching you things.”
Kuchyt, who has taught at Oak Lawn Community for 23 years, said the Polish club was long overdue.
“These three ladies took it upon themselves to approach me and asked if I would sponsor it,” he said. “They were so gung-ho about it. I said absolutely, but you’re going to need to organize everything.”
Kuchyt, who joined in the Smigus-Dyngus activities, knows firsthand what it’s like to grow up in a Polish household. He said his parents emigrated from Poland, and he saw their struggles with the language and new culture. Kuchyt decided to become a history teacher partly because of an appreciation for his heritage.
That also factored into his club sponsorship.
“I think it’s important for the students to have a sense of belonging in the school — somebody they can connect with who shares a common heritage, and to learn more about their history and culture,” he said.
Kuchyt also recently led a discussion about Polish Constitution Day on May 3. Many club members, he said, participate in Chicago’s Polish Constitution Day Parade, which takes place this year at 11 a.m. May 4 starting at Columbus and Balbo Drives and marching north to Monroe Street.
The event celebrates the ratification of the Polish Constitution of May 3, 1791, and the Chicago event “the largest Polish parade outside of Poland,” according to a news release from Loyola University-based Lira Ensemble. Among events planned around the Chicago area is a Lira Ensemble Polish & Proud Concert at 5 p.m. May 5 at SS. Cyril and Methodius Parish, 608 Sobieski St., Lemont. Tickets and information are at liraensemble.org.
Janice Neumann is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
