AAPI Assembly

AAPI Assembly Brings the Heat, and the Awareness 

By Megan Holmes, Writer (Class of 2028)

Bishop O’Connell held an assembly in honor of celebrating Asian heritage on March 5. The Asian American Student Association (AASA) hosted the student body, featuring colorful dances, spicy ramen trivia, and lots of learning. A sophomore member, Asher Sim, described the club as a close community. “It feels so open and welcoming, and you can really feel like you belong.” Meanwhile, the secretary, senior Sophia Truong, discussed her role in the club, listing responsibilities such as taking notes during meetings, creating seating charts, and directing people where they are supposed to go.

Kicking off the assembly, Teresa Feng (Class of 2027) recited the Our Father in Chinese. Then after the lights dimmed, flags of various Asian countries were carried around the auditorium, showcasing all the members’ heritages. At the same time, the dragon, puppeteered by several students, (including Matthew Dunn [Class of 2027] controlling the head), was led by Teresa throughout the auditorium. The beast wandered among the seats before finally perching onstage for a moment, the flags waving below it.

Students walked the runway in a fashion show, wearing traditional outfits from various Asian countries, to create a wonderful learning experience. Two emcees talked the audience through all the aspects of each outfit, giving insight into each country’s unique culture. 

In the American Ninja Warrior challenge, two members from each grade had to try and complete an obstacle course faster than all the teams. The freshmen won the first round with a strong 21 seconds, followed by the seniors with 36 seconds. However, the seniors obliterated the freshmen in the final round in tug-of-war, securing them two Chick-fil-A gift cards.

During board-breaking, both the freshman and sophomore teachers, Mrs. Aboelenin and Mr. Schell respectively, easily sliced through all three boards, but a cheer-off advanced Mr. Schell to the finals. When it came to Mr. Giguere for the juniors versus Mr. Crittenberger representing the seniors, three boards were like butter for the teachers. But in a surprising twist, Mr. Crittenberger, who substituted last-minute for the senior teacher, won the cheer-off and the whole event.

There were many inspirational videos from parents and even local Asian Americans who were willing to be interviewed. They shared their stories of coming to America, their successes, and ultimately finding a sense of belonging in both the Asian and American communities. Sophia Truong mentioned that, “I really like the assembly. I think it really showcases all the different cultures and heritages. It provides context about Asian Americans in history, especially since we often confuse Asian with Asian American, but there’s actually a lot of cultural differences between them.”

The Middle Eastern and North African Heritage Club (MENA) took over momentarily to present their community. To test everyone’s knowledge of MENA countries, the club decided to put contestants through geography trivia. When it came to the final match of juniors against freshmen, the freshmen (with quite a struggle) came out victorious.

To honor Vietnamese culture, members of the club executed two Vietnamese-influenced dances. The recital started with a hat dance: seven performers flaunting the traditional nón lás to the bright beats of a Vietnamese pop song. Afterwards, the stage quickly transitioned from bamboo hats to colorful fans, in which the girls waved their vibrant quạts to “Con Gái Miền Tây” by artist Lương Khánh Vy, the sound of Vietnamese country music, or nhạc quê hương, enveloping the audience. 

After some jokes, the chopsticks competition started, and the freshmen continued their winning streak, picking up more cotton balls with their chopsticks. The juniors blazed through the challenge and beat the seniors, landing the two grades in a face-off once again. This time the juniors put the freshmen in their place.

A comedic highlight of the assembly was a video of the spicy ramen trivia that had occurred around the school, in which people’s knowledge on Asian culture and history were tested. If they got a question wrong, they were forced to take a bite of extremely spicy noodles. Many found the spice too much to handle, creating a hilarious display of multiple red-faced and watery-eyed reactions.

The assembly wrapped up with two fast-paced K-pop dances, consisting of a large group of about eleven people. Though the footwork was challenging, the dancers were able to put on an incredible performance. Both of my interviewees participated in each of the songs. It was nice to see so many people stepping up to dance their hearts out in front of their peers.

As a final message, Truong left us with these words: “I definitely recommend and encourage people to join the club. This is a really good opportunity to explore your identity because it is a great way to connect with your heritage. Before I joined, I didn’t practice many Vietnamese traditions, but during my time in this club, I’ve become really proud of my heritage.” Sim added, “We’re open to everyone, regardless of who they are and how much time they have. It’s a lot of fun, and I highly recommend that everyone joins!”

Photo by: Virginia Fontana