It has, for decades, been a tradition for Elmwood to celebrate the cultural diversity of our families at an event called “International Night.” It has taken various forms during its history, growing into an elaborate buffet dinner with presentations throughout the evening. Most recently, our celebration has been held online during assembly while Covid-19 restrictions were in place.
This year, however, we were thrilled to be able to offer International Night in person again for the first time in 3 years, and we were very keen to make the event as broad and inclusive a celebration as possible. Diverse foods from Africa, east and southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, the Mediterranean and the Caribbean were expertly prepared by Elmwood’s own outstanding Bistro. Songs, poetry recitations, and cultural dances were presented by students from the Junior School all the way to our Grade 12 Prefects, and interludes provided music and images from diverse sites around the world. One of the greatest gifts we can give anyone is the gift of sharing our cultures: the languages we speak; the foods we love; the music, literature and art which mean so much to us; the expressions of who we are and who we aspire to be.
Our International Cultures Club was so happy to be able to host this event, providing emcees for the evening’s performances, sharing a lovely dinner, coordinating a Cultural Clothing Showcase, and providing henna designs. The energy and joy of the 200 people who attended propelled the event forward as Elmwood again celebrated the diverse cultures of our students and shared deep appreciation of them! Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, and helped make the event happen! A massive thanks to Ms Ellison, International Cultures Club leaders Danya, Rena, and Sydney, and the International Cultures Club for putting on such an amazing event. A special thanks to student Charlotte Smulders as well for taking some beautiful photos of the night, which you will find in the Google album containing pictures and videos of the night. You can find those here.