On Wednesday, March 12, Walkersville’s sixth annual Multicultural Night took place; culture and the arts were simultaneously in full effect. The event consists of a variety of activities, including food from around the world, cultural performances, and a variety of games and crafts from different countries. Whether people came for the food, the face painting, the PTSA raffle, or the digeridoo in the senior cafeteria, all who attended had a great time.
Students and teachers alike are the backbone behind the festivities each year, with Mrs. Goad taking the reins as committee leader this year. She shared her thoughts on the event: “I feel that it’s the most important event for our school community since it celebrates our diversity and recognizes students who aren’t as known or aren’t the focus in most aspects of school life, like academics or athletics.”
The Multicultural Committee, a group of teachers who work together to make sure the evening is fun and safe for everyone, sets up the event each year. Mrs. Goad emphasized that it takes a lot of hands to pull something like this off: “A lot of staff members are involved in the process—whether it’s Mr. Robertshaw coordinating food donations, Ms. Viera inviting outside groups, or Ms. Early making posters and helping with advertising, just to name a few — they all help make Multicultural Night run smoothly. We begin meeting in September to prepare, brainstorm, and troubleshoot for this one night.”
A large part of the evening’s success comes from the work of student organizations. Just as the teachers are preparing, WHS clubs are planning. They pick a culture to learn about and share with the public. Oftentimes it is a culture representing a students ethnic origins, but sometimes it’s just a country students think would be fun. For example, the Debate Club chose Italy since Rome is the home of debate, BSU chose Africa because many members of the club have African heritage, and the Traditions, Language, and Culture Club (TLC) chose Honduras, El Salvador, Nigeria, and Ghana to reflect the ethnic diversity of their club. Each of the fourteen WHS groups went all out to showcase their chosen countries. New this year, was the addition of tables from outside groups like the YMCA of Frederick, Aya Cultural Arts Studio, Parks and Rec., Goodwill, the Asian American Center of Frederick, FCC, Frederick Transit, and a bookmobile from FCPL.
A fan favorite are the performances created and performed by Walkersville students. The Spanish Club performed their traditional bachata dance to rousing success, while a mariachi band serenaded the crowd between performances by WHS’s Jazz Band. The Traditions, Language and Culture Club decided to have four members put on a series of West African dances centered around Ghana, Togo, and Nigeria specifically. Joelle, the leader of the dance group and the president of the club, was very excited to have this opportunity: “It was fun to show the community what West African culture is like.”
The WHS Step Team was also in attendance, as they did their own version of Kendrick Lamar’s recent Super Bowl Halftime Show performance. The team has come a long way from when they first started, and they were a big hit, receiving huge amounts of applause.
Mrs. Goad thought the night overall was truly a huge success with a great turnout: “I’m super proud of my students and the community for coming together and making this celebration happen. It connects us and makes memories for everyone that attends. Multicultural Night builds self-esteem and empowers and unites students to embrace not only what brings them together but also what’s different about them.” She also wanted to thank the members of the community who donated food, as the possibility of free food is always a huge draw. This years donors were Pretzel and Pizza Creations, The Orchard Restaurant, Azteca, Wegmans, Rice Thai Bistro, Padmini Curry, China Wok, and Pizza Hut.
If your interested in seeing more student performances come to the Talent and Culture Showcase on April 24. The TLC Dancers and Step Team have already agreed to perform. Registration is still open if you want to show off your talent or culture. Make sure to come whether it be as a performer or as part of the audience!
