FAmily Diversity Night honors the multiculturalism of all families

On Thursday, Jan. 19th, Friends Academy families joined us for an evening of food, family activities, and community at the annual FAmily Diversity Night. Co-sponsored by the Upper School Diversity Committee (pictured below) and the Office of Diversity, Equity, + Inclusion led by Director Camille S. Edwards, the evening fed the body, mind, and soul.

Anchored on the Thursday of Peace Week, families are invited to bring a traditional dish from their culture or country of origin and then participate in an hour-long family activity.

This year, families were treated to three different activities, including Nigerian dance with one of our Middle School parents, a music lesson on the hulusi, a Chinese cultural instrument, with senior Tina Tang, and an interactive figure-drawing workshop with our fourth-grade artist-teachers and Upper School live models. 

Middle School parent Oluwaseyi Shayee Awoyomi, parent of 5th grader Ayomide Awoyomi, deconstructed a Nigerian cultural dance for family participants. Mrs. Awoyomi first taught segments of upper and lower body movement and choreography, how to move in unison as a group, and then paired the dance with an auditory call-out. Watch how it all came together in our video clip below:

After learning "Mary Had a Little Lamb" on their hulusis, families enthusiastically agreed to try a slightly more challenging piece. Click our video below to hear Tina demonstrate:

In the figure-drawing class, families were asked to use only ovals and circles to draw their (very patient) live 9th-grade models. Participants were challenged to first use their dominant hand, then their non-dominant hand, then to not look at their sketch paper at all. Fourth-grade artist-teachers both demonstrated figure-drawing techniques and offer positive strategies for an embracing-your-mistakes mindset.

Photography by Alvin Caal and Andrea Miller/Friends Academy