The Global Ambassadors Club celebrated understanding people by looking at different cultures during the week of April 15-19. During the week, The Global Ambassadors Club hosted their second annual Multicultural Festival and a Global Conference.
Students and faculty from two of Stone Bridge’s partner schools, Lycee EPID in Dunkirk, France and Istituto Tecnico Tecnologico G. Giorgi in Brindisi, Italy, were invited to explore American culture while Stone Bridge explored and celebrated the culture within its own community.
“There is power in our diversity,” Global Ambassador Club sponsor Ms. Carla Davis said. “If we all come to better understand each other, there is no telling what we can do.”
After months of preparation,students joined together to display their culture in various ways, including film and fashion, for the festival, which took place on Wednesday, April 17. The Potomac Falls High School Global Ambassadors Club also participated in the Global Conference activities throughout the week and were present in the audience alongside two guests from the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) who gave a presentation at the festival.
“I think many of Stone Bridge students are in a little bubble here in Ashburn,” Ms. Davis said. “I want my students to understand that the word is bigger than that.”
The club and Multicultural Committee has been planning and preparing for the week since the beginning of the school year. The club had been communicating regularly with the partner schools for months prior to the conference.
“This really gave us the chance to get to know [students from our partner schools] and give them a little preview of what life in America is like,” Global Ambassadors club member Sachitha Umasenthil said.
The exchange students spent the week experiencing American high school and local tourist attractions. The club members and exchange students took field trips to the Air and Space Museum and enjoyed dinner and bowling. The exchange students were able to take part in the school activities with a game of soccer where they were joined by the boys varsity soccer team. The Italian students, who stayed an extra two days, ended their trip with prom.
“Playing soccer with the exchange students was a great experience,” varsity soccer player Marvin Fekel said. “Getting to talk and enjoy the game of soccer with them was lots of fun.”
Students from different cultures were able to come together and learn about each other’s background and celebrate their similarities and differences.
While there is a common love for the sport of soccer not everything in America is shared in European culture. When asked about the most surprising aspect of America, one French student gave his candid response.
”The crocs,” a student from Lycee EPID said.
