Cultural Celebration Day
On Friday the 15th July, Waingels celebrated Culture Day, organised by the Equality Student Voice group and Student Council. This was a unique opportunity for students to express themselves through their culture or heritage. Just by observing the deep-coloured and glowing landscape of students from all year groups dressing in their traditional garments from the Sixth Form Community Zone windows, it was clear that it is indeed the incredibly diverse variety of backgrounds that build strength in Waingels as a community.
When asked about her thoughts on Cultural Celebration Day, Anna, our Pride
representative in Year 12 explained how Culture Day is a significant aspect of
“educating our students about minority cultures whilst involving the wider community in an engaging and entertaining way”.
Talking to Neha in Year 10 about her cultural background, who herself beautifully glimmered in a traditional dove grey shalwar kameez, replied that she loved that she
was “able to express herself along with (her) classmates”, her friends also exclaiming
that they would appreciate culture days to be the norm and something that should
be commemorated more frequently. Maria in Year 9, fashioned the Brazilian flag,
revealing that in Food Preparation and Nutrition her class had learnt how to make
Jollof rice, the unifying dish across Western Africa as well as Plantain Chips. Mia, also
in Year 9, explained how there was Bollywood dancing in PE and Mandala patterns
in Maths, which are a type of geometrical configuration of shapes to create distinct
ornamental design.
Prioritising inclusivity in lessons also seemed to be the main theme surrounding the
day, not to mention how impressive it was to hear how culture could be so tightly integrated into lessons. Whilst students say that their favourite part of the day was dressing up and tasting different cuisines, they also appreciated seeing their peers with different backgrounds involved themselves with something so close to their hearts.
Embracing what a multicultural society has to offer, especially from a young age is an integral detail of feeling like you are heard and belong. Waingels is doing an excellent job in promoting this idea, well done to all who participated! Photographs from this event can be viewed here.