Diversity Day
Junior Staff Writers Omar El Nesr '24 and Nihitha Reddy '24
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As the snow fluttered across the rooftops, the smells of various times, places, and cultures wafted through the brickyard. Students enjoyed a two-hour delay due to the weather and they arrived at school well rested for an eventful day.
Diversity Day at Mass Academy is an annual tradition celebrating the individuals, cultures, and experiences that fill this small building.
Following a short introduction by Mrs. Kristen Small, the humanities teacher at Mass Academy and the organizer of the event, each student gave a brief speech on their cultural heritage and family roots. Speeches ranged from religious or cultural stories to descriptions of their home country.
Following these speeches, a “race card walk” was held in which students read the various race cards that their peers had made. Race cards are double sided papers about an individual’s experiences, thoughts, and emotions on race. On the front side is a six-word sentence or idea, often accompanied by an illustration or image, that encompasses a part of their life in relation to what diversity means to them. On the back side is a paragraph explaining the significance and meaning of those six words.
Finally, it was time for lunch; students had been tasked with preparing a dish from their culture to share with the grade, varying from chicken biryani to molokhaya.
The day ended with student performances.
Thomas Park gave an interactive presentation teaching the class how to dance the worldwide phenomenon of “Gangnam Style.”
Naga Vikram and Shivani Parmar performed an Indian dance known as bharatanatyam, building off of their 10+ years of experience.
Charles Tang and Joe Yu demonstrated their skills with the Chinese Yo-yo.
Diversity Day opened students’ eyes to the unique experiences of their peers and was a day they will never forget.
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