Club International put together an array of entertainment and food samples for Cultural Awareness Week. The club, headed by Kimberly Lim (12), along with other cultural clubs collaborated to organize the week-long event.

Cultural Awareness Week consisted of two main events: Food Day and the Performances Assembly. On Food Day, cuisines ranging from fried rice and Korean Barbeque to Filipino egg rolls were sold throughout the building four quads. Students who participated were able to sample food and purchase culturally rich lunches. Although some of the meals were quite expensive, “it was cool tasting foods not often seen,” said Ben Yu (11).

The assembly was a major success in terms of bringing awareness of different cultures to West High. It was composed of unique performances, information booths, and an annual geography contest. The show began with students modeling their culture’s traditional attires in a fashion show and progressed to singing, dancing, and traditional Japanese drumming. Royce Kim (11) says “the songs were nice and the drumming pumped me up!”

Selected representatives from numerous Social Science classes competed in the geography contest. Ultimately, Gio Borje (11) from Mr. Hettinger’s sixth period U.S. History class took home the first place title—earning his class a pizza party. Ray Watanabe (11) reflects that “the contest gave me a better sense of my geography and the land around me. It was cool!” Cultural Awareness Week was a success in educating students about the various cultures and geography.