a diverse community
HIGH SCHOOL HOLDS FIRST RAMS AROUND THE WORLD NIGHT APRIL 26 by Vincent Hsiao
L
PHOTO EDITOR
adue’s student inclusion committee hosted their first annual cultural event called Rams Around The World in the multipurpose room and cafeteria April 26. The event, also known as passport night, displayed a variety of world cultures to the Ladue community through food, music, crafts and posters filled with information, all at numerous table booths run by students and their families. Other students performed on stage throughout the two hour long event. It was a night that underwent months of planning by the inclusion committee. “We were blown away by the response that we got this year,” librarian Jennifer Tuttle said. “We hope that because of how successful it went this year, it will just continue to grow.” Tuttle is a co-sponsor for Ladue’s student inclusion committee, also known as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility group. Students are nominated and chosen by staff to serve in DEIA. The group meets about
es was from Ladue students in every six weeks. the Master Qi Kung Fu School, “This year we asked them to including freshman Jin Zhang. identify an action, stuff that they Zhang showed his skills off with would like to actually take charge nunchucks and a plastic spear. of, and that was this Rams Around “Prior to the event, I practiced The World event,” Tuttle said. around 45 minutes a day, like the Passport nights the Ladue elweek before. Especially my nunementary schools have held for chucks, it is quite easy to drop,” years was the inspiration for Rams Zhang said. Around The World. It was fit for Other performances throughout the goals of DEIA. the night included dancing from “They asked, ‘How can we have the Bollywood dance club, sophoa similar kind of event where we more Stuti Dasgupta are celebrating the “We hope that singing a Bengali different cultures, song, storytelling ethnicities, races, because of how [and] differences successful it went and sing-alongs from former Ladue Midwithin students in this year, it will dle School teacher the building?’” Tuttle just continue to Quentin Alimayu, said. salsa dancing from DEIA started plangrow.” members of Spanish ning for the event at the start of this year. Jennifer Tuttle, Honor Society and a Chinese tea cereThe committee had staff mony performed by to coordinate with senior Jasmine Li. Zhang went many families who wanted to parto the booths and watched other ticipate in the passport night. performances after conducting his “It was a lot of just sending own. the promotional material out and “I think it is very important to [seeing] what came back, and then know more about other cultures,” continuing communication with Zhang said. “Our school is a very those people who were interested culturally diverse place and every to ask, what is it that you need passport night, there’s food from from us in order to make your every culture, new stuff you albooth successful?” Tuttle said. ways learn. It’s a great thing.” One of the stage performanc-
A welcome whiteboard sits near the entrance of Rams Around The World in the cafeteria April 26. The event was a showcase of the community's diverse backgrounds. "Just thank you, thank you for sharing your time, your resources, your knowledge, yourselves," librarian Jennifer Tuttle said. (Photo by Vincent Hsiao)
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