Kuper Academy students celebrate cultural diversity

By Chelsey St-Pierre
The Suburban

A unique and festive cultural celebration day was held at Kuper Academy in Kirkland last Friday.

Students dressed in traditional clothing representing different cultures set up tables throughout the school’s gym where they placed items related to the country or culture that they were representing as well as traditional food items. At each stop along the table tour, students enthusiastically described the items on display and described the foods that they prepared at home with their families or brought in from local restaurants to showcase their culture’s “best of” or “most known for” tasty treats.

Following the tour of the tables, a variety show featuring students who prepared dance and music performances related to their cultural representation took place followed by a “fashion show” where two students at a time representing different countries walked through the centre divide of the cheering crowd.

“Here at Kuper Academy we have a lot of cultural diversity and it is important to me to see these cultures come together and celebrate each other,” Event organizer and French teacher at Kuper Academy Annu Vir, representing India for the day’s activities, told The Suburban.

“This is an incredible endeavour initiated by one of my colleagues that has really grown into what you see today. I like seeing students sharing their cultural diversities. I am a proud Jew, born and raised in the West Island and proud to share this day with students at Kuper from all countries,” teacher Robyn Shiller told The Suburban.

The Suburban‘s assigned tour guide, student Kennedy Boucher, representing Canada at the festivities, explained more than 30 tables representing various cultures and countries in perfect detail. She finally took a short mid-day break as the stage performances took place. “Seeing all the performances was amazing and I learned of some hidden talents of some students that I didn’t know about.”

Kirkland city councillor Karen Cliffe attended the event and told The Suburban that she was in awe at the grandeur of the students’ involvement in the project. “The effort that the kids put in to making the food, preparing the tables and putting on a show is amazing.”

All who attended were visibly impressed with the collective works that created a jovial atmosphere combined with learning and sharing. n

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