Leduc Composite students celebrate Black History Month by hosting a cultural days event
Leduc Composite High School students have enjoyed celebrating Black History Month. Students developed the idea of hosting a cultural days event, where students from various countries in the world could showcase foods, clothing and other cultural pieces.
“Our black students decided that they would host everyone’s culture and make room for everyone, as well as Black History of course, so we had a whole bunch of different cultures around our school,” says Mikayla Wood, a student teacher at LCHS.
Last Friday the idea came to fruition, with students eagerly circulating the booths run by their peers.
“It’s really nice to be exposed to different cultures from everywhere and be accepting to everyone,” says Wood.
“It feels really great,” says Ruekiyah A., an LCHS student with Lebanese heritage. “It feels like the school is really incorporating us, and it feels very spiritual. To get more diversity and to make the kids feel welcome, it’s very important to build schools in this way.”
She brought hummus, pita bread, and baklava to represent her culture, because, according to Ruekiyah, “we love to have sweets and we are very known for our hummus.”
Kelton F., an LCHS student, brought a sweet tea made from a leaf grown in his country of Cameroon. He also brought some cultural artifacts.
“It feels really good to spread my culture and see others who are not familiar with my culture enjoy it and see the differences of my culture compared to others,” says Kelton.
Taisei U., an exchange student attending LCHS, says “I represented Japanese culture. I brought Japanese manga,” he says. Manga is a Japanese style comic book or graphic novel. He also brought a pineapple candy pop, popular in Japan.
Taisei says, “I love Canada and I love this school. I wanted to show the students our Japanese culture, and explain about my culture. That’s why I joined this culture day.”
“Thank you to our students who showcased their cultures, and those who chose to attend the event and learn about their peers,” says Cindy McRae, Assistant Principal, LCHS. “We want our students to feel proud of their culture and heritage, and know that diversity is welcome and celebrated in our school.”