Herts School celebrates the richness of its diverse community with inspiring Culture Day
As the summer term draws to a close, independent day school, Abbot’s Hill, hosted its first Culture Day to celebrate the richness and vibrancy of its diverse school community and to help pupils explore themes of identity and belonging. The off-timetable event, saw the whole school take part in a day of learning and fun musical workshop activities, with a thought-provoking interfaith panel discussion, amidst a host of inspirational speakers.
Designed to celebrate difference and to help everyone feel seen, heard, respected and valued, the school was keen to showcase how diverse environments can benefit creativity, problem-solving and teamwork.
The day began with a special whole school assembly looking at what culture means and how we can use it to better understand each other. After this, pupils across all year groups got involved in a range of different activities from a global greetings workshop, Mandarin and Arabic language carousel, a South African dance workshop, cultural challenge task and quiz, and an exciting Dhol drumming workshop.
Mayessa Hamdan, Inclusion Lead at Abbot’s Hill School explained: "I feel truly honoured and privileged to have hosted our school’s first ever Culture Day. The day was about more than celebration though, it was about creating space for understanding and connection, while taking pride in who we are as individuals.
"By exploring and embracing the many cultures that shape our school community, we are taking meaningful steps towards a more inclusive and compassionate environment. I’m incredibly proud of our students and staff for engaging so wholeheartedly in this important day."
The day of cultural discovery also involved an ‘East Meets West’ session looking at the differences in medicines. While an interfaith panel discussion during the morning, saw eight amazing speakers of different faiths and beliefs come together to share their experiences with the pupils. The school also heard from fascinating keynote speaker, Chimmy Ngoma, a podcast host, speaker and award-winning senior leader in the financial services industry, who spoke to the students about her own culture, as well as matters of identity and racism.
“It’s not enough to simply acknowledge that we come from different backgrounds. We must make space for each other, learn from each other, and celebrate the stories that shape who we are. Today’s Culture Day was very much an extension of this, and we look forward to the next one,” added Miss Hamdan.
Abbott’s Hill has recently been shortlisted in the Independent School of the Year Awards for the Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Justice category.