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Overcast Cultural arts on display at Brooklyn Avenue School
Students at the Brooklyn Avenue School screamed with delight on Jan. 29 as South High School students wearing Chinese dragon costumes swept the colorful pieces over the kids’ heads.
The performance was part of a presentation by the high school’s Cultural Arts Society, which demonstrated dances and other tricks from several regions of the world. Those included Chinese yoyo, Filipino Tinikling dancing, Chinese ribbon dancing and the South American tango.
South High junior Maya Voytelmgum, 16, graduated from the elementary school and returned as one of the club’s performers. Her sister, Avani, 12, watched from the audience.
“It’s always fun to see her perform,” Avani said, adding that she aspires to learn the skills her sister displayed. For Maya, the visit was a way to show the younger students what awaits them in high school.
“I really enjoy when we do performances at elementary schools because it’s a way to show incoming kids how great the club is and to get them excited for coming to high school,” she said.
Maya said she joined the club to learn about different cultures, but her continued participation is now more about having fun. The club’s diversity and its approach to the concept reflects what she said she learned as a student at Brooklyn. “You’re definitely taught to get to know people before you judge them, and that everyone should be accepted equally,” she said of her time there.
The club’s co-advisor, science teacher Jeffrey Hsi, said he urges connection through club activities and performances. “To me, it’s always about community. I always try to impress on my kids that it’s about service,” he said, adding, “They create their own bonds when they do things together, and to me, there’s nothing better than that.”
Brooklyn Avenue School Principal Scott Comis said that the visit is a great experience for a school population that includes more than 40 nationalities. “There is a great amount of diversity here at Brooklyn Avenue School,” he said. “Our diversity is our strength.”
