Bringing the World to School by Kyra Chang
Every year, the IB program hosts the Culture Festival in December. At this festival, students share the culture of countries from all over the world through food and performances. Planning for the festival started in mid-September, where students from the IB Diploma Program, Career Program, ESOL classes went to the library to start coming up with ideas. Senior Joy Weng had been doing the festival for three years and already had plans. “We usually get into groups for the countries that we’re representing or another committee if we’re not doing a country. For me, I’m representing China so I will be communicating with other people in my group about what foods we are bring, decor ideas, and potential performances. I’m also in the talent show committee, so right now we are figuring out how many performances we have currently,” said Weng. Most groups had their boards completed from the years before, but they still had to make sure they had all the information they wanted on them. “Usually the boards would give a little background or history of the country and general facts. Other things would include fun facts about the country and national dishes, color, animal, etc,” said Weng.
One of the biggest parts of the festival was the performances. Groups of students would come together to represent a culture and perform songs, dances, and more. This is what Weng was most excited about. “[I’m excited about] the performances because they are fun to watch as well as be part of. This year I will be participating in two dances so I’m looking forward to that as well,” said Weng. As a member of the talent show committee, it was Weng’s responsibility to put on a good show. There were several different committees; including the talent show, there were also committees for all the represented countries, the kids area, promotion, and more.
Weng believed that the festival was one of the most important school events of the year. “It’s very important in giving underrepresented countries representation as well as educating others on the culture and history of countries they may not know about,” said Weng. “I think it also helps not just the IB community, but the school as a whole, to connect with one another, bring everyone closer, and learn about each other’s cultures.” She believed that other schools should also have an even like the IB culture fest. “I feel like it is something that everyone can participate in and can make them feel represented as well as show pride in their culture. Like I mentioned before, it really brings everyone together and I think it’s an event that everyone will enjoy,” said Weng.
The IB Culture Fest was a time for the community to come together to celebrate the diversity within the school. In the years past, there was a lot of participation and attendance in the festival, and this year they were aiming for even more.
Caption:
Planning Ahead: Seniors Joy Weng and Chloe Martinez fill out the culture fest interest form. Every other Friday during 5th and 6th period, students from across the IB program and ESOL classes met in the library to discuss their plans for culture fest. On the interest form, students chose what countries they wanted to represent and what committees they wanted to be a part of. Weng signed up to be in the group for China and the talent show committee. “The talent show is my favorite part of culture fest, so I want to be part of organizing it,” said Weng.
Photo by Kyra Chang