M.M. Robinson High School recently held a Multicultural Week led by students that celebrated cultural diversity in the Burlington school.
Throughout the week, the school showcased the diverse art, food, fashions, traditions and cultures of students.
MMR's Student Equity Leaders planned, organized and led different activities each day with the help of a team of 25 student leaders to explore different cultures and create authentic learning experiences for students. Events included a Celebration of the Arts presentations from local artists representing numerous countries; a Heritage Day, in which students wore traditional clothing from their culture or colours of their traditional flags from their countries of origin) in order to celebrate the cultural diversity in our student population; and a fashion show in MMR’s theatre. There was also a map of the world in which students could mark their countries of origin.
“The Multicultural Week was a vision led by students in order to promote equity, understanding, empathy and learning in our school community,” says teacher and co-organizer Heather Michlik. “We hope students learned about multiculturalism, learned about different traditions from each other, and celebrated the diverse student representation at MMR. We hope they learned to be empathetic, respectful and curious about different cultures, and the rich traditions of other nations. Overall, we hope they learned to be inclusive and welcoming to others they meet.”
Grade 12 student Scarlett Jarvis says Multicultural Week was a big success and helped her sharpen several learning skills.
“I learned so much from other students and staff about the different cultures present in our school community in a variety of meaningful ways,” she says, noting she helped with food events. “Aside from learning about different cultures present in our school community, being involved in a project as big as this has taught me to be more organized and to become a better leader. After every Multicultural Week, we had a ‘Stop Start Continue’ meeting to go over what worked, what didn’t and any new ideas for next year. This has taught me everything from process improvement to project management.”
Grade 11 student Anousha Tanveer, who assisted with the fashion show, says hosting these kinds of events help build inclusivity among student peers.
“It is events like these that allow students and staff to broaden their understanding and lens of culture and support community building and adopting healthy perspectives on culture as a whole,” Tanveer says.
The Multicultural Event connected to
HDSB’s 2020-2024 Multi-Year Plan’s Mental Health & Well-Being and Equity & Inclusion areas of focus.
“Through the promotion of learning, respect and empathy, we want to build our school culture as one where students are welcomed and celebrated for who they are and the richness they bring into their learning spaces,” Michlik says.
