a diverse community

High School Holds First Rams Around The World Night April 26

by Vincent Hsiao PHOTO EDITOR

Ladue’s student inclusion committee hosted their first annual cultural event called Rams Around The World in the multipurpose room and cafeteria April 26.

The event, also known as passport night, displayed a variety of world cultures to the Ladue community through food, music, crafts and posters filled with information, all at numerous table booths run by students and their families. Other students performed on stage throughout the two hour long event. It was a night that underwent months of planning by the inclusion committee.

“We were blown away by the response that we got this year,” librarian Jennifer Tuttle said. “We hope that because of how successful it went this year, it will just continue to grow.”

Tuttle is a co-sponsor for Ladue’s student inclusion committee, also known as the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility group. Students are nominated and chosen by staff to serve in DEIA. The group meets about every six weeks.

“This year we asked them to identify an action, stuff that they would like to actually take charge of, and that was this Rams Around The World event,” Tuttle said.

Passport nights the Ladue elementary schools have held for years was the inspiration for Rams Around The World. It was fit for the goals of DEIA.

“They asked, ‘How can we have a similar kind of event where we are celebrating the different cultures, ethnicities, races, [and] differences within students in the building?’” Tuttle said.

DEIA started planning for the event at the start of this year. The committee had to coordinate with many families who wanted to participate in the passport night.

“It was a lot of just sending the promotional material out and [seeing] what came back, and then continuing communication with those people who were interested to ask, what is it that you need from us in order to make your booth successful?” Tuttle said.

One of the stage performanc- es was from Ladue students in the Master Qi Kung Fu School, including freshman Jin Zhang. Zhang showed his skills off with nunchucks and a plastic spear.

“Prior to the event, I practiced around 45 minutes a day, like the week before. Especially my nunchucks, it is quite easy to drop,” Zhang said.

Other performances throughout the night included dancing from the Bollywood dance club, sophomore Stuti Dasgupta singing a Bengali song, storytelling and sing-alongs from former Ladue Middle School teacher Quentin Alimayu, salsa dancing from members of Spanish Honor Society and a Chinese tea ceremony performed by senior Jasmine Li. Zhang went to the booths and watched other performances after conducting his own.

“I think it is very important to know more about other cultures,” Zhang said. “Our school is a very culturally diverse place and every passport night, there’s food from every culture, new stuff you always learn. It’s a great thing.”

TOP LEFT: Senior Jasmine Li pours hot water into teacups during the Chinese tea ceremony. The tea was later handed out to visitors throughout the multi-purpose room.

TOP RIGHT: Freshman Jin Zhang performs kung fu onstage with a large spear. Zhang was one of three Ladue students demonstrating their kung fu skills learned from the Master Qi Kung Fu School in St. Louis.

UPPER MIDDLE LEFT: Librarian Jennifer Tuttle speaks to eventgoers in the multi-purpose room near the end of Rams Around The World. DEIA members helped organize and run the event, pictured to the right of Tuttle. (Photos by Vincent Hsiao)

LOWER MIDDLE LEFT: Senior Nahome Tewelde serves Nigerian food to fellow senior Dylan Patterson. Tewelde was among the dozens of booths either displaying information and serving food to the Ladue community. (Photo illustration by Vincent Hsiao)

BOTTOM LEFT: Former Ladue Middle School history teacher Quentin Alimayu leads a sing-along song during his performance onstage. Alimayu explained the song's meaning and practiced the lyrics with the audience of Ladue families. (Photo illustration by Vincent Hsiao)

BOTTOM RIGHT: Seniors Rodina Elasbali and Zahra Khan hold up items showcasing Islamic culture at the Muslim Student Association booth. They featured food and drink including samosas, dates and Rooh Afza, along with henna tattoos and its Islamic history. "It’s amazing showcasing our beautiful diversity within our school, being able to dress up in our little cute outfits, and see everyone else’s outfits, it’s amazing," Khan said. (Photo by Vincent Hsiao)