International Night was held in the Spring Bank lobby and auditorium February 28. A total of 40 students performed with acts and 20 students had stands featuring their cultures. There were several students with amusing acts ranging from singing to dancing. Every student who performed was talented and proud of their culture.
Some groups made and served food to represent their country. Almost everyone in the Spring Bank lobby had a plate or bowl of whichever food caught their attention most, or even all of the food they could get. Some stands like Peru, Sudan, Vietnam didn’t have food but still had plenty of information about their specific culture.
During the opening portion of the night many students were able to talk to people and learn about so many different cultures. For example the Jewish American Club was at International Night and they were serving quite a bit of food. This night was a great way for people to go out, to talk to other people, and get out of their comfort zones a little bit to enjoy the company of others.
Once the opening portion ended they moved everyone into the auditorium for the performance’s. There were a total of 14 performances. Each performance demonstrated the reason why these students were out there performing, whether it was because they just like dancing, or they are very passionate about their culture, or they just want to be noticed.
Keyshawn Pierre, senior and performer representing the West Po Majorettes for International Night said, “Our performance was about blending the modern and old school style of Black culture.”
During the night the audio would constantly cut several times and or make a really loud ringing noise, the noises were so loud over half the auditorium had to cover their ears, and International Night staff scrambled to fix the problems. There were many technical difficulties but behind the stage they were able to fix most of the problems. If you want to be a part of an international night but don’t have an act per say you can help out backstage because there can never be too much help.
“I know one thing that we would definitely focus or spend a little more attention and time on next year is just a little audio malfunctions that we had,” Ms. Terry said.
Ms. Sherri Terry, physics teacher and Black Student Union adviser, organizes the event, and she did all she could to make sure that the students could express themselves with no restrictions in a safe environment. Ms. Terry plans on this being a yearly event and will make sure students have some sort of outlet to express themselves and their cultures. International Night is constantly growing with acts and students can talk to Ms.Terry in room 705 to see if they can participate next year.
“I’m just so pleased and happy with all the students that came out just to see that,” Ms. Terry added.
