A Night of Diversity, Togetherness and Fun

The concepts of diversity and internationalism moved beyond the classroom for students at Merriam and schools, who along with their families enjoyed an evening of international-themed experiences designed to emphasize the variety of cultures in their schools and community.

An estimated 300 children and parents attended the recent fifth annual Parker-Damon International Night, which featured a potluck of meals and desserts from around the world; a “global village” of booths representing different countries; and performances featuring the talents of performers from both schools.

The event, originally conceptualized by a group of parents and administrators as a “way to celebrate the diversity of our schools,” has “grown every year and is just a wonderful cooperative venture for the two schools,” said Merriam principal, Ed Kaufman.

“It’s a great community-building event and a great bridge between both schools,” agreed Matt McDowell, assistant principal for both schools, adding that both were “well represented” at the event.

Held in the schools’ shared gym, the global village featured various displays and artifacts from 14 different countries, including China, India, Greece, Israel and others, and encouraged participation via a “passport” the children filled with stamps as they visited the booths.

What’s more, the village offered the chance for parents from cultures less represented in the community to share their heritage, as with McCarthy-Towne parent Jana Bull, a native of the Czech Republic, who said students at the elementary-school level “aren’t always familiar” with her homeland.

“It’s a small country and not everyone knows about it, so (the event) is a good opportunity to show people what my country is about,” said Bull of her Czech booth. “It’s also fun hearing stories from people who’ve been there.”

After the global village and international potluck, which featured dishes ranging from traditional Indian and Chinese fare to lesser-known Lebanese and Danish food, families settled in for the performance portion of the event, which Kaufman called “a highlight for both schools.”

Performances expanded this year to include 94 children who represented a range of disciplines and countries, including India, China, Greece, Israel, Denmark and Spain, as well as the United States, with two Merriam third-graders, Jack Pearson and Brian Li, opening by playing the Star-Spangled Banner on the guitar.

After the performance, Jack, who’s been playing the guitar for two years, said the experience of performing for his peers was “definitely a lot of fun” and that he “felt really good and proud” about representing his country in such a way.

For Priya Ramanan, the performances allowed her to showcase her heritage in a meaningful way. While she said she enjoyed showing her son, McCarthy-Towne first-grader Suchir, “what different cultures are all about” over the course of the evening, sharing her Indian culture with others by way of a traditional Indian Punjabi dance her son performed with a group was particularly exciting.

Called bhangra, the dance “represents different parts of day-to-day living in India,” said Ramanan, adding that Suchir was “very excited—he’s been practicing for about a month.”

And audience members' takes on the performances, and on the evening itself, echoed the diversity the night represented, with children like Merriam third-grader Mikaela Tessier expressing excitement about watching their friends perform, and parents appreciating the underlying intent.

"It's fun to see my friends up there," said Mikaela, with her mother, Pauline Tessier, adding that, “It’s great to see this diversity in Acton. Merriam is such a community-based school and something like this really brings everyone together.”

And inspiring such feelings of excitement, curiosity and togetherness is what the event is all about, said organizers and school administrators.

“(International Night) is really about building awareness that dancing and songs are all expressions of human emotions, and there’s beauty in the different ways people express those emotions,” said Olyvia Sharam, event co-chair for McCarthy-Towne.“We’re trying to tell the community that this is also part of the educational experience.”