By Carolina Alphonso, Staff Writer
On March 15, everyone at River Hill came together and witnessed the school’s very first multicultural day. Students and staff alike put lots of preparation into this event in order to make it fun and memorable for all.
The day was split into two parts: the first was an assembly and the second was activities in the gym and cafeteria. Classes were put into one of two groups, with group one being the first to attend the assembly and group two doing the activities around the school. Once the assembly was finished, the two switched.
The assembly consisted of a multitude of performances. Mr Kim.’s 6th period orchestra performed two music pieces, and sophomore Jonathan Mackrell played songs from the Shetland Islands on the accordion. There were also two on-stage Chinese cultural dances performed by Mabelle Liu, an 8th grader, and senior Dora Zhao. Lastly, two videos were shown, one of the River Hill STEP team and the other showcasing a cultural Indian fusion dance. When asked about the assembly, sophomore Micheal Yarin commented, “It was really cool to see and I really enjoyed the dances, especially the two Chinese dances.” Sophomore Dara Asante also said, “I loved Senora Souidi’s part because it was so much fun. The dancing was so funny and great to watch.”
The aux gym held games, arts and crafts while the media center played Lilo and Stitch. In addition the cafeteria had tables with information on different cultures and a face painting table. Sophomore Caitlin Ball commented that “the activities were really fun. I really liked them. Plus, not to brag, I had gotten a prize at the end of the day for getting all the stamps.”
Months of preparation went into getting ready for this event, being the first multicultural celebration held at River Hill. Sophomore Rhea Nair, Secretary of Lotus said, “Yeah, we worked really hard to get this event.”
Although many students enjoyed the event, there were still some suggestions made. At the end of the day, students were able to take a survey to write about what they enjoyed and what could be improved on. When asked about the day itself and what could have been improved, sophomore Jizelle Williams said, “They should allow you to sign up for a group, I wasn’t able to hang out with any of my friends.” Another sophomore, Fritz Orlosky, had also said, “It would’ve been better if there was an actual live performance from the STEP team and for more countries to participate.”
It’s clear that multicultural day had a meaningful impact on everyone, whether it taught students about different cultures or allowed them to meet new people at various activities and stations. It’s encouraging to see such a celebration of diversity, and hopefully next year’s multicultural day will be just as successful as this year’s.