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By Jonathan Thomas and Chris Anil
Hosts Aanya Sharma, Abigail Koshy, and Ariana Mercado.
(image courtesy of CHSN Instagram)
Our school is filled with brilliant students from all backgrounds. International Night was an event that commemorated and admired these different cultures and traditions in a gratifying way.
Here at Clarkstown North we have a very diversified student body, including all different nationalities and cultures. To celebrate this diversity, sophomores Aanya Sharma and Abigail Koshy and junior Ariana Mercado organized an “International Night” last Thursday, May 18, where students performed on stage and set up stations with activities and dishes from various cultures.
To begin the night, students and their families entered the auditorium where they had the pleasure of viewing a variety of performances. For example, there was a trivia competition where the hosts called upon audience members to participate, and the 1st place winner obtained a prize. Viewers saw a singing performance, an exciting Taiko drums performance, K-Club dance, and traditional Indian dance. One viewer commented that “the different cultural performances were so interesting to watch, and I enjoyed them all and was intrigued throughout.”
The Taiko Drum Team put on a fast paced and dynamic performance for viewers to enjoy.
(image courtesy of CHSN Instagram)
After the performances, audience members and participants went downstairs where many students had stations celebrating specific cultures and traditions lined up outside of the cafeteria. Inside the cafeteria was food from various traditional foods from restaurants like Tulsi. Students who hosted the stations gave brief descriptions about the country/culture they were representing and wore traditional attire. Everyone enjoyed the good food and socialized for the remainder of the night. Rebekah Fields, one of the runners of the South Korean station stated “I thought that it was so cool to see so many different cultures represented in just one short hallway, and I was genuinely touched by how many people seemed interested in my own culture at the South Korean table.”
South Korean station at International Night, filled with snacks and traditional South Korean items. (image courtesy of CHSN Instagram)
International Night was a great way of unifying our student body, bringing us together to celebrate our unique cultures. For many it is an avenue to learn about new traditions, while for others it is a way to express their cultures to their fellow students. Whether students had a leadership role or were just viewers, all participants had a great time and learned a lot. Organizer Aayna Sharma explained that “International night was honestly a great experience from seeing the performances to the culture tables. Helping people learn and appreciate others cultures was very fulfilling, especially since it all went to a great cause. I hope everyone comes again next year for this wonderful experience!”
This station celebrated the culture and cuisine of Ukraine. The 1800+ dollars raised in International Night was donated to the charity Razom to help the people of Ukraine in their time of need. (image courtesy of CHSN instagram)
Overall, the organizers, performers, and audience members made International Night a highlight of the school year, and we can’t wait for the next one!
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