On May 11th, 2022, Culture Night took place at JHS was put on by the Community of Racial Equity. Junior Waverly Zhao, the facilitator of C.O.R.E, played a large hand in putting on this event.

The first half of culture night was laid out with tables that had different countries and regions representing them in the cafeteria. The tables had plenty of cultural dishes and games. Members of C.O.R.E and other participants came in and took in the enriching environment.

The second half of the evening was dedicated to performances such as dance, songs, and instruments. A fashion show of cultural wear was also put on. This all took place in the auditorium. An organization known as CultureAll was also present at this event. CultureAll is a Des Moines based organization that aims to foster an inclusive environment of all cultures, as well as programs that create more education on diversity and equity.

Waverly Zhao ‘23 said, “It was really good to see students interested in the different cultures. It was good to have students and parents be able to express that part of themselves.”

In the future, C.O.R.E aims to have more culture nights, with the hope that students of all backgrounds can unite and share their own culture.