Millbrook held their annual international fair this past week, on April 11 and 12 during 2nd period. The international fair is an event where many different groups and honor societies around the school join together to share their culture and countries. Held in the gym, students can walk around and explore the activities and food provided at each table.
The creator and teacher that ran the fair was Spanish teacher Ms. Amaguayo. She helped the clubs understand what the fair is, planned out the order of booths and helped the students learn about each of the cultures. She said, “This event is important because we are celebrating culture and diversity here at Millbrook.”
The theme of the event was “The Amazing Race,” modeled after a show where contestants race across the world learning about different cultures and competing in challenges to further learn about the countries. The statement to describe the fair is “It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey getting there.”
Starting at the front of the booth parade, the Latin club showed posters and games of Latin origin. Senior Ben Nichols said, “The activity we have is a Roman game called RNR which is a mix of tic tac toe and checkers.” The booth helped present the many Roman origins of current society, and the game helped students understand how many games today are Latin based.
The next booth was French Honor Society which included a belgium waffle table. Senior Gretchen Richardson said, “Our booth and the activities we chose are important because spreading the French culture is important, and our teacher is Belgian, so this is also for her.” Honoring the heritage of students and staff is a large part of the international fair.
The African Student Association was next. Playing music from different African countries, the booth was surrounded by people dancing and singing. Senior Efevwena Dekpe said, “African Student Association is important because we recognize all the countries in Africa and blend that with music and dancing.” Assistant Principal Ms. Wilson felt the African Student Association was her favorite booth. She said, “I think I like the music playing because of the drums and the beat.” Including music at the booths allowed for others to learn about new music and relate it to other songs they listen to.
Continuing around the booths was the Spanish Honor Society. Similar to the Spanish Club, tissue paper and pipe cleaners were supplied to make paper flowers. Junior Andrew Lewis said, “Our club is important because it celebrates Spanish culture and Spanish countries.” Honoring the different cultural practices of other countries is one of the main goals of the fair.
The Black Student Union was the next group. The group is an outlet for students to discuss Black history and topics along with getting to know the surrounding community. At the booth they included music and games, including coin pong with trivia questions.
After the Black Student Union was the Caribbean Club. This club aims to spread the culture of Caribbean islands, and bring different students together at Millbrook.
The Muslim Student Alliance and Arab Student Union were next, showing clothes and instruments of the two cultures. Junior Aleeza Syed said, “Our club is important because Muslim Student Alliance is here to support the people of Millbrook, and it brings us together throughout the school.”
The last booth on the outside of the parade was the Chinese Club. Junior Seth Bragdon said, “Our club has toys, food and common things from Chinese culture.” With music and games being played, this booth and club showed everyone that they could participate.
The final club of the fair was sat in the middle of the other clubs. The Spanish Performance Club had many different stations including food from different Spanish countries, a soccer activity and trivia on Spanish culture. This station also included the closing event of the fair.
A traditional dance done in Spanish culture was presented by two of Millbrook’s students. In traditional dress as well, the students gave the crowd a fun and interactive dance that helped seal the whole event together. With a kiss at the end of the dance, the event came to a close.
Supporting and learning about other cultures is a major part of what makes Millbrook the school it is. Ms. Amaguayo said, “We are a very rich school, and we need to embrace that. This event helps achieve that.” The international fair is an important event at Millbrook because it brings awareness to the many different cultures of the school.
