Celebrating Cultural Diversity at ODA

This year, International Day was celebrated by all three divisions of The Out-of-Door Academy. Students at both campuses learned a wide variety of facts about countries around the globe that included language, climate, ecology, and landmarks.

On the Lower Campus, fifth graders read culturally diverse picture books with their pre-K buddies in small groups. The students enjoyed stories that represented the rich cultural diversity of the Out-of-Door community.

On the Uihlein Campus, classes were invited to visit the International Day Fair with booths highlighting student and educators’ cultural backgrounds. Displays showcased nearly two dozen countries including Ghana, Israel, Italy, Greece, and Argentina, and highlighted key information about each country’s history, government, music, currency, pastimes, and, of course, food. The wide variety of delicacies students prepared allowed classmates to experience and enjoy the cuisine of the many different cultures from which our student body is composed.

Lead organizer Kaylee Shockey ’23 says that putting together the International Day Fair has been a fantastic experience. “The exponential growth of this event has been astonishing. It has become a school-wide celebration with more than 20 international countries represented. Many booths included a display board of factual information about each country, artifacts such as flags and hats, and a cultural snack, dessert or beverage.”

Kaylee thinks the fair is successful because it gives students a chance to represent their cultures and interact through conversation and food. “I enjoyed being able to see everyone get in line to get the cannoli dip from the Italy booth and the empanadas from the Colombia booth. It gives students a chance to experience a bit of different cultures while making conversation and learning.”

“This was by far the most vibrant and expansive International Day Fair I've witnessed during my time here at ODA,” said Liam Frangos ’23. “The Brazilian booth with its cups of Guarana, spanakopita at the Greek booth, and the Chinese booth with dumplings, provided me with an incredible array of culinary choices. All of the different people who took part did an amazing job of showcasing the traditional drinks, food, customs and history of their countries. This year's International Day was one to remember!”