The theme was color: shining through in the intricate clothing, foods, and cultural performances at the March 23 International Night and March 24 International Day.
Last school year hosted the first International Day assembly, but this year’s coordinators, seniors Aashna Pandey and Dyvne Lee, decided to expand the event so all community members could participate.
“Last year we received so much positive feedback from International Day, and my parents also came to me and said, ‘oh I wish I could have seen it too.’ That got us thinking that we should try to expand it so it is not just a student thing,” Pandey said.
In addition to the showcase, which students who watched the March 24 assembly also watched, International night featured tables where community members highlighted their cultures through food and activities.
One community member, Vitali Eskenazi, father of junior Carolyn Eskenazi, managed a table.
“We brought some food from the Turkish store. I am from Turkey… we displayed and people were interested. Everybody had a sample,” he said.
Compared to last year, alumnus and former International Day coordinator Joyce Huang noticed that overall interest and participation increased. She returned to Strath Haven this year with her dance group H4T to perform on International night.
“There are a lot more performers. Last year I felt like I was scrambling and begging people to come perform at International Day… this year my group was supposed to perform at the school [assembly], but they said that there were too many performers,” she said.
Dancer Ryan Thach, who performed with Huang in H4T, was happy to see student engagement.
“I definitely enjoyed seeing the other performances and seeing everyone enjoying themselves out on the stage… I’m glad the students came, did their work, and the parents came out and supported them,” he said.
The student engagement continued the next day. The March 24 school day assembly featured additional performances and a fashion show.
For students, International Day means sharing their identity and being proud of it.
“We are more than just what we look like. Like I said in my speech, I am Kenyan. I am from the Kikuyu tribe in Kenya,” Dyvne Lee said. “Same for everyone else who just looks white or just looks brown. They are more than just Indian, they are more than just Asian.”
“It is about really knowing who people are and not just putting people in a group because of what they look like.”
See more photos from the International Night Event
CORRECTION: The spellings of Carolyn Eskenazi’s and Vitali Eskenazi’s names were incorrect in the May print issue. We regret the error.
