WCDS Celebrates International Culture Festival
Westchester Country Day School students and faculty celebrated the international diversity within the school community with a day-long International Culture Festival.
Organized by student members of the International Cultural Association, Dr. Mark Braun and Dr. Diana Garcia, the event allowed PK-12 students to learn about more than 21 countries and six continents represented within the Westchester community. Westchester families were involved in contributing items, foods and activities from their own cultural heritage and traditions to make this an enriching educational experience for all.
The morning began with assemblies featuring several performances. These included Irish dancing by alumna Emma Engle '23 (a Wake Forest University student) and other dancers with the Walsh Kelley School of Irish Dance, a vocal performance of Chinese music by Dynasty Rui '20 (a High Point University student), traditional dance by fifth grader Cameron Bass representing the Waccamaw Siouan tribe of southeastern North Carolina, and an Indian vocal performance by ninth grader Pallavi Paruchuri.
Following the assembly, classes visited an exhibition hall set up in Rives Hall with tables representing countries from around the world. Each country was represented by artifacts and memorabilia contributed by parent volunteers and faculty members. Volunteers shared facts about the history, geography and traditions of their country as well as tasty food samples. Students enjoyed collecting stickers in a passport for each country they visited while interacting with the activities presented at each display.
