The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Students celebrate cultural diversity
International Night tradition ‘brings our school together.’
Celebrating the diversity of cultures represented at Johns Creek’s Northview High has been such a long-standing tradition that English teacher Megan Hart Sekman can’t pinpoint when it began.
“I’ve been at Northview for 11 years, and it started well before I came,” said Sekman, who has overseen the International Night festivities for 10 years. “The students are happy to showcase their cultures and the very best of our school.”
Those interested audition to be part of the 90-minute program that highlights artistic elements of their heritage. For this year’s early February show, performances featured students singing Italian opera, ananimetrio,ajazzgroupanda traditional Indian dance group.
“The kids come up with their own choreography and songs,” said Sekman. “This year, we had a disco with Russian pop songs from the ’80s, and the kids were a bit ner- vous because of what’s happening politically right now. But we don’t talk politics; we focus on these cultures and what they mean to the world.”
This year, junior Tiffany Kim and eight friends donned traditional Korean dresses and staged a dance she has practiced for years.
“I’ve been doing this wellknown court dance since I was in elementary school,” said Kim. “My mom has always been a big part of the Korean culture, and this is a big part of my and my friends’ identity.”
Kim was also impressed with a trio who performed a Chinese fan dance.
“It was so neat to see how neighboring countries can have such a difference in dances. Each were unique in their own way.”
A highlight of the evening is the Taste of Cultures that runs before and during the performances.
“The community volun- teers to come in with food from their home countries,” said Sekman. “We had sausage from Poland, kimchi from Korea and various Chinese, Korean, Taiwanese and Nigerian dishes. The school administrators had a USA table with barbecue.”
The food samplings are free, but the show requires a $10 ticket that raises funds for the school. This year’s event collected about $7,500. But the money is not the real focus, said Sekman.
“I can’t overemphasize how it brings our school together and how much the kids look forward to it,” she said. “It’s a big endeavor that is as professional as it can be, with kids working backstage as well as performing. We become a family through that process. It’s so neat. It’s like my birthday, Christmas and the Fourth of July combined.”