April 11, 2025, was Dallastown Area High School’s second Multicultural Night, following in the footsteps of the previous ones held in the middle school in the years before COVID-19. Dallastown’s lobby was full of tri-folds, each representing a different country, in addition to a buffet of food in the cafeteria and crafts in one of the hallways.
Each food, craft, game, and dance shared is from someone’s culture, which is very important to the students involved. Not only that, but all the tri-folds were student-made, and the night was completely put together by Dallastown’s Global Scholars Club.
“It means a lot to be able to share my culture with people from across the school, and I love to get to learn things about new cultures,” Global Scholars member Anika Ray commented.
The night was split into different sections, with 3-3:30 p.m. dedicated to the poster boards; 3:30-5 p.m. for online and board games; 4:30-6 p.m. for food, arts, and crafts; and 6-7 p.m. for the performances.
Students in the Global Scholars Club were able to be involved in all aspects of the night, bringing in a variety of food and activities. For example, Santiago Alvarez Bautista brought horchata and did papel picado in one of the classrooms. The performances ranged from a skit by Mohammad Khan, Haleema Khan, and Reuben Hughes to African dances by Gabe Annan and Kamso Nwachukwu.
Some of the other foods in the buffet were arepas, spring rolls, and jerk chicken.
Graduate Maryyam Usman brought Multicultural Night back to Dallastown last year as a way to share her culture and experience others. Usman’s cousin, Haleema Khan, who runs the club, jokes that she’s carrying the family legacy.
“For me, Multicultural Night is a time to express myself freely without any judgment. It’s a way for everyone to come together to celebrate each other without any fear of how we’re perceived. We can all just be who we are and have a good time,” Khan shared.
It’s a night where people can see the cultures present at Dallastown and fully appreciate each other; these students and cultures deserve to continue to be celebrated in the years to come.
