Meridian is known for its diverse group of students and staff, and each year, International Week aims to celebrate that.
International Week begins February 24th, with door decorating, an international parade, the Festival of Cultures, and even different lunches from a variety of countries. Meridian is proud to represent the culture of students with these different backgrounds.
Several students look forward to the events, and the world parade is a big one. With 100 countries being represented, students get to dress up in their cultural attire and showcase their nationality to the school. Sophomore Miranda Oyiriaru remarks on the world parade, “During the world parade I was representing Nigeria; it was very fun and empowering”. Miranda also mentions the Festival of Cultures, where she often runs the Nigeria booth.
The festival is held the Saturday after the parade, where parents and students host booths representing their countries, serving food and games, and get the chance to teach others about their country. Clubs also host their booths, and primary and secondary students have the opportunity to perform cultural dances and songs.
Jose Serrano, a freshman at Meridian, was also excited to participate in all the international week events. “My favorite part of international week is seeing everyone’s countries of origin and how diverse our school is,” he shared.
Ms.Chapel, the organizer of all the international events, remarks on the growth of International Week through the years. “The World Parade and festival have always been a part of the tradition, but each year we have added things such as the culture maps, door decorating, hallway decor, and classroom activities”.
She also mentions how she feels International week is significant to Meridian. “As an IB school with students from around the world, it’s important for us to take the time to learn from each other and share about who we are and where we are from.”
Ms. Chapel furtherly discussed how she wishes to see International Week develop in the future. “I have enjoyed seeing more involvement by our secondary students in our Festival of Cultures and would love to see that grow … .we are always open to suggestions regarding what students may want to do to help us celebrate, including activities students can lead.”
In all, International Week was a huge hit and one for the books. Meridian hopes to see the celebration grow with students eager to demonstrate their cultural backgrounds.