Student highlights

It’s only been 6 months of 2022, yet so much has already happened here at Alleyn’s! Looking back at all the school events that have taken place so far, from the Awaken dance show to House Song and various other musical events, it is clear that the Alleyn’s community has been busy enriching the school with a diverse range of co-curricular activities as usual. Although I have thoroughly enjoyed watching and participating in a lot of these events, my personal highlight of 2022 has to be Alleyn’s first ever Multicultural Week.

During the week commencing 7^th of February, Multicultural Week celebrated and uplifted a wide range of languages and cultural identities found at Alleyn’s through different events every day of the week. On Tuesday that week, a dance workshop on south Asian and Hispanic dance was held at lunchtime. Walking into the New Gym, a waterfall of excitement rushed over me as the crisp plucking of guitar strings boomed through the stereo, sending vibrations through the air. A great number of students from all sections of the school attended the workshop, and we soon began learning dances such as salsa and Bollywood dance. Although we were definitely not as coordinated as the dance instructor, everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience and left the workshop feeling exhilarated. Apart from cultural dance, Multicultural Week also hosted events celebrating cultural music (i.e., the lunchtime music concert) and literature (i.e., the talk by Helena Lee on ‘East Side Voices – Essays celebrating East and Southeast Asian Identity in Britain’).

My favourite day of Multicultural Week was the final day when pupils were encouraged to wear their cultural clothing, as I felt a sense of solidarity with those who also came into school wearing their traditional clothes. Whether it was qipaos, lehengas, or han fu, I was in awe of the intricate and beautiful designs of each article of cultural clothing, and that day definitely further heightened my appreciation for other cultures.

Being in predominantly white academic settings for most of my life, I seldom had the chance to see my culture represented in a school setting, and the rare representation I did see was often portrayed riddled with stereotypes. However, I felt that this year’s Multicultural Week definitely set the standard of cultural appreciation that should be present in all schools, everywhere, and I’m excited to see what else Alleyn’s has to offer this year!

An Qi