Celebration of Cultures

Around the World in 180 Days

A Celebration of Cultures Throughout the School Year

Michelle Andrade Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications

Learning about cultures and stories other than one’s own builds curiosity and compassion in humans. When people nurture not only self-awareness but the ability to empathize with the stories of others, their contribution to the world around them grows immeasurably. Ensworth strives to foster an environment equipped with the resources, lessons, and experiences for students to grow and learn so they can contribute and invest in the world around them. As a part of these efforts, the Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion (CEI) set a goal of honoring and celebrating various events and cultures as a school-wide community.

Many schools and institutions celebrate months such as Native American Indian Heritage Month, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month. But what is the hope of these commemorative times? One of the goals at Ensworth is to have the immersion extend beyond just a single month. The integration of such celebrations continues to be in the planning for each school year, but is enhanced through the incorporation of a deeper cross-curricular approach that weaves education and cultural awareness through various aspects of school life.

With the induction of new representatives from each school division, the CEI office undertook such a feat. David Whitfield, Maurice Hopkins, and Hope Moeller, along with numerous faculty and staff members and the Parent Diversity Council, supported this effort to broaden the community’s scope on the world. There were talks, assemblies, activities, art exhibits, panel discussions, musical performances, special guests, and more, all emphasizing community engagement and inclusion.

Simple Shifts:

• CEI staff educated teachers about special religious holidays celebrated in our school community to better support families with their distinct needs while educating our community as a whole.

• Community and family members visited individual classrooms aligned with curriculum and interest.

• Special guests visited both campuses to share stories, traditions, practices, and rituals.

Community-Wide Cultural Celebrations

Hispanic Heritage Month

September 2021

In our National Hispanic Heritage Month Assembly in mid-September, Grade 8 students welcomed everyone in Español, and Grade 7 students shared their Hispanic Heritage Heroes reports. Grade 4 performed “Piragua” from the motion picture “In the Heights.”

Trunk-E-Treat

October 2021

The Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion’s Trunk-E-Treat was a rousing success. Cars lined the lower level of the tennis parking garage at the Frist Campus as families trick-or-treated. Ensworth invited several local chefs, including Japanese pop-up Kisser, Guyanese food truck The Pepper Pott, and Taiwanese dumpling chefs Mama Yang & Daughter, run by former Ensworth Chinese teacher Grace Tseng.

Parent Diversity Council member Jessica Baba shares, “Community is a huge part of the Ensworth experience, and I think we’ve all missed each other. The Trunk-ETreat event was an enjoyable experience that really reflected the strength of the K–12 experience. We had High School students hosting trunks to hand out treats to the younger students, and the family trunk decorations were impressively spooky!”

Veterans Day

November 2021

Following a long-standing tradition of celebrating and honoring veterans, Ensworth’s Veterans Day Service Club hosted a Veterans Day Assembly, panel discussion, and lunch with beloved veterans from our community.

Hight School students Nora Wheliss, Gracie Pulliam, Lara Rogers, Maddie Bradley, and Krsna Garr, with the support of David Chanaca and the History Department, compiled videos showcasing appreciation and stories from students, remembering times gone by with cherished veterans, and honoring the lives of those who serve this country.

Ms. Cortner, Mr. Wallace, and Ms. Lenz, along with Grade 8 and Grade 6 students, hosted a Veterans Day Assembly on the Red Gables Campus, which began with an informative panel discussing the history of Veterans Day and explaining the different branches of the US Military. The assembly concluded with a compelling enactment of America’s White Table by Margot Theis Raven. The hope was that students would leave this formal celebration thinking in a new way about the lives of the men and women who have served our country.

Students on both campuses received visits from Charles Robinson, Ensworth parent and founder of The Red Road, and his family. He and his family, including his daughter Nanaiya Owns Different Horses ’24, danced and shared about the culture, games, and daily life of Native Americans. He explained to the High School students that the Frist Campus was tribal land, so it was the first time tribal dancing had taken place on this land in more than 500 years.

Family Traditions

December 2021

Ensworth is full of traditions as a school; one such custom is sharing and celebrating the traditions of our families and community. Every year, Grade 2 works on their Family Traditions unit, with each student creating a book of their own family’s customs and practices. This year, families and community members visited campus to share more about their cultural and religious traditions.

Kwanzaa

December 2021

Dr. Terrance McNeil, an assistant professor and coordinator of the M.Ed in Instructional Leadership at TSU, shared about Kwanzaa on the Frist Campus in December. Dr. McNeil explained how Kwanzaa is an attempt to reignite connection to the lost cultural ties to Africa for AfricanAmericans. This cultural holiday, rather than a religious one, is about the reconnection to culture and values with celebrations, gifts, time with loved ones, and introspection.

Martin Luther King, Junior Day

January 2022

Across both campuses, students, faculty, and staff commemorated the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The High School welcomed Dr. Kelly Miller Smith Jr., child of prominent Civil Rights leader Kelly Miller Smith. Students engaged with Kelly’s delivery, asking questions about nonviolence, Nashville, and his overall experience of Dr. King. At the Lower/Middle School, Grade 8 students presented a dialogue about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s history and performed an engaging rendition of Doreen Rappaport’s Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Chinese New Year

January/February 2022

Each year, Kindergarten students bring the spirit of the Chinese New Year to the Red Gables Campus with their lion parade. The Chinese Arts Alliance also visited campus this year and shared a lion dance. The lion dance is one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year; it is performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year. Special celebrations were held on both campuses to commemorate the advent of the Year of the Tiger (see article on pg. 5 for more).

February 2022

Seminar teacher and Volleyball Coach Ashley Glotta ’14 shared her passion and knowledge of HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) with High School students. With Nashville’s four Historically Black Colleges and Universities, students continued to delve into the history of Nashville and the Civil Rights Movement.

Lower and Middle School students welcomed Stefan Forbus, saxophonist and alumnus of Tennessee State University’s Aristocrat of Bands, as they learned more about HBCUs. Student voices shared how they celebrate their culture, and all students were challenged and encouraged to celebrate their own community culture here at Ensworth. All learned the compelling fight song from TSU with a modification to include Ensworth School. Ensworth’s choral ensemble, Opus, graced everyone with song.

Dr. Darwin Mason, Head of Middle School, was asked to be a guest in Mr. Schneider’s seventh-grade English class as they continued their Marching for Freedom study. Dr. Mason offered a short lesson on Negro spirituals and delivered a performance of one song found in their corresponding text.

High school students thoroughly enjoyed an interview with Henry Hicks III, President and CEO of the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM). The museum has been open for just over a year, yet Nashville has been working toward having a museum that celebrates African American culture for a long time. Mr. Hicks shared a little more about this unfolding in Nashville and the vision of “One Nation Under A Groove.”

Tiger Taste - Celebrating the Cultures of our Community - May 2022

The Office of Community Engagement and Inclusion closed the school year by hosting a potluck picnic to celebrate the diverse cultures of our community. Ensworth’s first annual Tiger Tastes left everyone’s tummies and hearts full! Tiger Tastes again featured The Pepper Pott and Mama Yang & Daughter in addition to family-provided foods. More than a dozen families hosted tables to provide a taste of foods from various cultures, including Mexican, Italian, Jewish, Chinese, Japanese Hawaiian, Persian, Appalachian, and Southern vegan.

Women’s History Month - March 2022

Dr. Kristene Kelly, Vanderbilt’s Deputy Athletic Director for Internal Affairs and a former Ensworth parent, spoke to the High School about her path to success as a black woman in college athletics. She brought along her Vanderbilt colleague and Ensworth alumnus, Donovan Sheffield ’15.

Ensworth parent and The Hermitage Hotel Managing Director Dee Patel spoke on the Red Gables Campus about the history of women’s voting rights and the significant role Nashville played in the suffragette movement. She shared how the movement progressed due to a critical person and a pivotal state (hint, Tennessee).

Amanda Farnsworth, former Ensworth parent and current Board Trustee, visited the Frist campus to share her story of accomplishment and growth. When she began working in private wealth management, she saw that 95% of her peers were male. But she loved the financial markets, so she worked hard and stayed the course. Now a pilot and retired from the public financial sector, Mrs. Farnsworth shared insights from her experience with the High School students:

• Do something you love and are passionate about • Explore opportunities - accept the push • Work hard • Play hard (enjoy your life) • Help others • Dream big!

“Do something about problematic things in the world. And meet the community’s needs without stripping anyone of their dignity,” shared Ensworth parent and Nashville police officer Natalia Johnson. Officer Johnson shared her compelling story from growing up in a small town in California with a high murder rate per capita to a Nashville police officer. She shared how track and field changed the trajectory of her life and how her hard work brought her to a place where she works to serve and protect all people.