CMHS embraces its culture

By Brianna Bielak Editorial Assistant As Multicultural Night unfolded on Oct. 23 from 6 - 8 p.m., students experienced culture through enjoying various types of food, dance, storytelling, and art.

Dancers pose for a smile at Multicultural Night. Photo by Jacob Powell.

For the storytelling portion of the event, senior Elise Porter wrote her story “My Crown” on the topic of how her hair defines her. “Look, my crown isn’t just hair—it’s a legacy, a capsule of time, translated into folklore and stories, a spectrum of styles that narrate the eras of my existence,” she wrote. 

“I think multicultural night is going pretty well. I mean, people are walking around, and they’re doing little fun games. I think it’s doing really well. I think we should do it more often, too,” Porter said. 

In the storytelling event, students shared their perspectives on diversity through personal experiences regarding different cultural aspects. Rodriguez shared her focus on assimilation in the U.S. 

“I know the Venezolano [Venezuelan] students struggle with assimilating to America, and I struggled with that myself,” senior Jennifer Rodriguez said.

While the storytellers entertained students, a table was set up with a variety of cultured candies. However, some students were disappointed with what was displayed. 

“I wish they had a broader selection of candies that are popular in the set country. I saw that they had Mexican candy, but it didn’t really have the main candies that Mexico is known for, like mazapan, paleta payaso, or even Lucas candies,” senior Jennifer Rodriguez said. 

Senior Serenity Sterdivant Richardson added onto this by saying how she wished there were more candy varieties because she felt other cultures were underrepresented.  

Following the storytelling portion, students represented their cultures by joining together through dance, including the folklorico, Dominican merengue, and macarena.

“Audience participation is everything,” English teacher Ms. Page said.

One of the main organizers, ELL teacher Ms. Martinez, who was in charge of the dance category, said that the student participants faced many obstacles, including financial difficulties in making their dresses.

“One mother even made them [the dresses] in 24 hours. Sometimes they didn't have a space at school to practice, but they organized themselves to practice at home, in parks, and other places. Some students stopped participating for that reason, but those who did, did very well!” Martinez said. 

Another activity students enjoyed was the arts and crafts section, where people used a spinner wheel to determine which country flag they’d color, followed by putting their pictures up on the wall, surrounding an American flag. 

Multicultural night was filled with delight in expressing different cultures around the world, giving the community the opportunity to experience them in unique ways, each expressing different aspects of their diversity.

“I would want multicultural night to be able to help make new events that will suit everyone,” Senior Jennifer Rodriguez said.