 |
| 2017 Culture Fest was well attended on February 10 |
To commence ACE week, students participated in an annual event created by senior, Fatima Boumahchad. If you didn’t know, ACE week stands for “Accepting Cultures for Everyone.” Two years ago, as a sophomore, Fatima was inspired by her past experiences as a New Yorker where there was a variety of cultures represented. When she came to Dayton Regional STEM School (DRSS), she wanted to learn more about the cultures within STEM to share it with others. Fatima stated, “I started it mainly to educate my peers on different cultures that there are. I also thought it would be a pretty cool event to have!” This year, many different cultures were represented including: French, Native American, Indian, Moroccan, Brazilian, Saint Augustine, Philippian, Bolivian, Indonesian, Spanish, Japanese, German, Australian, Italian, Russian, Cuban, Puerto Rican, Thai and so many more.
 |
| Students had the opportunity to share and learn more about each culture that was represented and get food from various parts of the world. |
This event was about sharing culture with each other. Fatima stated, “It has grown each year! My sophomore year there was only about ten different groups and cultures represented. And last year there was about thirty groups. This year was our biggest and best, with a huge variety of culture and even more people participating than before!” When I asked students about if they enjoyed the event, an overwhelming theme was shared; it was tons of fun, and it was great meeting new people. ACE week is all about accepting one another and getting to learn more about people who you may not know much about. When I asked several students about the importance of sharing cultures, I received many different types of answers. Junior, Shivani Selvam, who represented India, stated, “This event helps people to not mistake culture for something else. Specifically, henna is something that is representative of Indian culture, and it did not originate from boho fashion. This event is about disrupting ignorance.”
 |
| Pooja does a henna tattoo for a fellow student |
Furthermore, when I asked students about the importance of diversity in society, senior, Cameron Martin, who represented Romania, stated “We all don’t want to get boring. Through our differences, we are unique. Our uniqueness makes us who we are.” In addition, senior, Brianna Moen, who represented Native American culture, answered this question by stating, “Let’s you know you are not alone. No one is the same.” Another question I posed to some students who were sharing their cultures was if it was possible to create your own culture. Srvanthi Vanga, a junior, who represented India, stated, “You can travel to different countries to learn more about them to make your own.” Also, Amanda Desorcy, a junior, who represented Hawaiian, stated, “Yes, countries can do it, so can you.”
 |
| Event organizer, Fatima Boumahchad (far left) stands with her fellow classmates as they represent Morocco |
This event was a beautiful display of cultures that represent the school’s diversity. Fatima believes this event will continue on. Specifically, she stated, “Definitely! It’s such a fun event and the students and staff enjoy it every year. I’d love to see it continue on as a tradition.” Culture fest was a success, and this event will hopefully stay around for a while even after the creator graduates.
