Celebrations

LUNARNEWYEAR

On February 1, 2022, DAP, Asian Culture Club, and PCDI partnered to host a Lunar New Year Spring Festival. The celebration included a presentation on Lunar New Year traditions and festivities, a variety of delicious Asian foods and music, and Delbarton ' s first Lunar New Year dragon! (See picture above.) This joyful event celebrated Asian cultures, while wishing our Delbarton community peace and prosperity in 2022 – the Year of the Tiger, symbolizing curiosity, independence, and self-esteem.

HISPANICHERITAGEMONTH

This year’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration was a beautiful display of Hispanic food, music, and traditions. On the day of the celebration, Old Main and the formal garden were covered with the vibrant colors of flags representing the different countries from which Delbarton’s Hispanic families hail. With cultural tables, Hispanic food trucks, art exhibitions, and a live band playing through the night, the celebration offered something for everyone to enjoy. This event was not only an outward display of the diversity that exists within the student population, but also an opportunity for everyone to admire and appreciate the often under-represented cultures of their peers. Although the celebration only happens once a year, it is always a beautiful representation of Hispanic culture that provides an opportunity for the entire Delbarton community to appreciate and celebrate the diversity found within itself.

CELEBRATIONS (CONTINUED)

BLACKHISTORYMONTH

Our Black History Month event on February 10th was a magical night filled with vibrant art, melodious music, chic fashion, delectable food and, most importantly, fellowship. The house was packed with Delbarton families and students celebrating Black History and the many cultures of African descent. Attendees were able to explore the rich display of art shared by Delbarton parents, including sculptures and paintings, peruse historical and first edition books written by authors of African descent, gaze at beautifully styled clothing created by world renowned designers of African descent and modeled by a diverse group of Delbarton and Kent Place students, and enjoy a tasting tour of soul food favorites, the Caribbean, and African countries. The festivities were complemented by a live DJ (Wade Merritt P’ 21), an African dance troupe, and an up and coming performer who belted out “Home” from the Wiz as the finale. This was an amazing and memorable evening and an incredible opportunity for so many to connect, celebrate and learn something new.

DIWALICELEBRATION

Diwali is a 5-day festival that coincides with the harvest and new year marking the birth of a rejuvenated soul. Families perform pujas (prayers), visit family and friends to feast and exchange sweets and gifts, decorate their homes with rangoli designs, light oil lamps (diyas) and light firecrackers. While Diwali is a religious festival, it has also become a secular national holiday celebrated by millions widely across the world. Delbarton parents, students, faculty and administration came together for the Diwali celebration on November 2, 2021. This celebration showcased traditional artifacts, decorations using candles, and flowers (including Rangoli) along with a sumptuous dinner of Indian street food dishes. The event concluded with everyone gathering around to learn a popular India dance form – the “Bhangra” --a high-energy folk dance from the state of Punjab. Father Michael along with parents, students, faculty collectively learned and then danced away with joy to celebrate the coming together of our community.

CELEBRATIONS (CONTINUED)

INTERFAITH FASTANDFEAST

As we neared the end of the school year, we engaged in fellowship once more with Delbarton’s Interfaith Fast and Feast, a unique immersive experience of brotherhood and friendship.The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which fell in April this year, commemorates the revelation of the Quran. It is a month spent in prayer, charity, selfdiscipline and sacrifice, during which Muslims are commanded to fast during the daylight hours of an entire month. The tradition of fasting is universal to all faiths and this year Ramadan coincided with Easter and Passover. In a show of unity, Delbarton students, faculty and parents from various faith traditions joined their Muslim brothers and sisters and celebrated one day of fasting by abstaining from food and water from dawn until sunset. The fast began with a pre-dawn zoom gathering to set intentions for the day and ended with a prayer from Father Michael in the beautifully blooming Old Main Gardens. Students delivered reflective speeches and a grand Middle Eastern meal was enjoyed by over 200 members of Delbarton’s community. Parents, students and faculty shared their gratitude for the unique occasion. As Kenna Baudin P’25 noted: “It was indeed such a beautiful evening. We heard from our impressive young men, reflected on brotherhood across all faiths, enjoyed the community, met new friends and enjoyed amazing food!”

PCDI BOOKCLUB

The PCDI book club is in its second year, with parents gathering to discuss texts by and about underrepresented groups, with the goal of creating intentional space and time to discuss topics related to diversity, equity and inclusion. We started with two fiction selections – The Road Back to Sweetgrass by Linda LeGarde Grover and The Leavers by Lisa Ko – and met over Zoom to engage in meaningful dialogue about not only the plots, but the culturally significant aspects of the books. Our dialogue led to discussions on wide ranging topics such as belonging, changing family dynamics, cross-cultural adoption and straddling different worlds. For our final meeting we gathered at the home of Crystal Comeaux P ‘24 to discuss A Dream Too Big by Caylin Moore, as a follow up to his in person talks with Delbarton students and parents. We examined his choices in life, his positive disposition and resilience, and his unwavering reliance on faith, as well as topics such as childhood adversity and the lack of educational opportunities for children from economically depressed environments. Stay tuned for more impressive authors, inspirational stories and stimulating conversations next school year!