On Sept. 18, the Student Activity Center was transformed into a vibrant cultural epicenter, where guests could be transported to experience over 10 cultures represented by students throughout the school and community.
The event, set up by the district EL team, had food trucks, on-site t-shirt designs, dances, music, displays created by students in the EL program, and so many opportunities to learn about different cultures.
“It is a community event that started last year as the first annual and this year was the second annual. The purpose of World Culture Night is to celebrate the diverse cultural backgrounds of our students. This happens through the conversations, displays, and learning opportunities,” Mrs. Angela Jones, EL teacher, said.
Students in the English as a Second Language class participated in the learning aspect by setting up posters displaying items or information from their own cultures.
“I required my students to set up their own spot where they had to explain something from their culture. I pushed that all my students attended. There were performances for students to dance to the music,” Mrs. Jones said.
The event was free in effort to include young students, families, and anyone who has interest in other cultures. There were opportunities to purchase food at food trucks and some items inside.
“The event was open to students from the elementary, middle school, high school and the community. Last year, we had people who were from Greenwood Christian Academy hear about it and they came. We welcomed anyone who wanted to come,” Mrs. Jones said.
This year, students and community members from all over Johnson County gathered at World Culture Night. Many students wore their cultural attire and danced to traditional songs in front of the audience. There were also several booths from businesses in the community handing out free gifts and information.
Anna, Betsy, Bianca, Hannah Yangk, Bram, Dutzm, and Iris are all seventh graders in the community who were there representing Hakha Chin. They performed a cultural dance together.
“Our country is going through a civil war right now and there are a lot of bombings, so for us, we want to spread awareness to the community. This is a very representative event. There are not really a lot of Chin people, since back in Burma they were trying to kill the Burmese people. So this is very important to us because it is celebrating our culture and we should dance for it and celebrate it. It also shows who we are to the community,” they said.
A seventh grader at GMS also performed a traditional dance to the song, Coca. Seeing the growth of the event made her and many others extremely proud.
“I came to World Culture Night last year and it was pretty fun. But this year, I never expected that so many people would come. It is so crazy. I was so shy to dance, but it was pretty cool once I did. I bless Greenwood for letting me come do the dance. I am so thankful for all of the teachers and staff who put the event on,” she said.
Eunice Lugo-Munoz, a freshman at GHS represented the Latino culture, wore an outfit significant to her culture.
“I am wearing my outfit that is traditionally for quinceaneras that we have in Mexico. I wear it for special occasions and dances. Nights like these are important to show and represent our culture. It gives us a lot of confidence,” said Lugo-Munoz.
World Culture Night was an opportunity for students and the community to experience other cultures that they might not have otherwise been exposed to. The celebration was a beautiful form of connection for cultures that might not have been together before.
“Our goal every year is to celebrate people together, include the community through inclusion, and allow our EL students to celebrate where they’re from and share their culture with everyone else,” Mrs. Jones said.
