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 A young arm gets a henna tattoo at the AHS multiculural festival.
The 2007 festival was held for a full day; this year’s lasted just two hours, from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m.
The food bazaar, an essential part of the May 1 festival, occupied half of the cafeteria, as it did last year.
Interestingly, the other half of the cafeteria was filled with activities at distinct stations that were decorated with posters. Each station had several student leaders, as well as teacher volunteers, who all took part in the planning process, which had started weeks before the festival.
 Eva Cirker-Stark performs at the AHS talent show.
Thailand’s sweet jelly dessert, Sudanese fresh homemade bread with tomato and onion dip, Chinese rice cakes, Lebanon’s pita bread were a few among the myriad of delicacies. Of course, there were also traditional American blond brownies and ice cream, which also attracted many students to sample.
One AHS student thinks this festival is very similar to last year’s, regarding food choices.
“This is awesome! It’s good to see everyone trying to do things,” said, Katherine Smith, another student.
While some tasted one cultural dish after another, others enjoyed themselves at different activity stations.
One typical game occupied two tables, allowing approximately 14 pairs of students to play. For instance, Mancala, an African board game, drew students, who became totally absorbed in it, thinking strategically about the next move.
At other stations, such as crocheting, God’s Eye, or origami, students all seemed eagerly to stretch their cultural knowledge.
At the henna tattoo station, student leaders used their creativity to decorate hands, not only with traditional mehndi patterns, but also with horoscope signs, English letters and Chinese characters.
One student was happy to try out the Sumi brush painting. She really enjoys this type of painting, because “it focuses more on simplicity than dramatic strokes.”
Students also had the chance to make Asian flying gizmo from bamboos, read international comic books, participate in the "Amazing Race Race," the geography show, and get prizes by playing the ring toss or whacking the giant piñata.
Another highlight of the festival was the talent show. Whether singing with expressions, dancing with emotions, playing the instruments with perfection, or performing one’s written poem or monologues with proficiency, all the performers were received with enthusiastic applause and praise.
Many students even chose to stay in the auditorium to finish watching the talent show after school had ended by 2:25 p.m.
Studebts said that a regular festival such as this one can truly help students better their knowledge about differences that exist not only among peers but also among countries.
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