On Nov. 10, Oakmont High School came together to share the uniqueness of their cultures as a whole. 

Oakmont kicked off Culture Fest on Wednesday by getting together in the quad to set up tables and serve some of their favorite cultural dishes. Students were given five “admit one” tickets to explore and choose whichever dishes they were interested in trying. 

This was a great experience for students to try new things, as well as an opportunity to get a better understanding of the types of dishes in different cultures. 

The following day, students and staff gathered in the gym for the Culture Fest rally, where there were special performances from different cultures. 

To start the rally, the students got to observe a Polynesian performance by two Aloha dancers. 

Next, Iselda from Thrivemovement Arts performed a Middle Eastern belly dance. 

Lastly, Fenix Drum and Dance Company performed an African dance and drumming act. 

These performances were all unique and entertaining as well as educational for the students to observe. 

This rally was very interactive with the students because the special guests were kind enough to take groups of students to the middle of the gym to teach them some of the moves from their cultural dances. 

The Aloha dancers taught a group of students a section from their Polynesian performance. Iselda also taught a group of students a section from her Middle Eastern dance, and the Fenix Drum and Dance Company shared their dance with the students, as well as letting a student participate in part of the drumming section along with one of Oakmont staff members. 

Overall, Oakmont’s Culture Fest was very successful. It was a great opportunity to share something different with the students, as well as educate them on some of different cultural traditions.