During the week of February 24 to 27, Selma High School held a week of cultural appreciation and representation. The week was filled with dress-up days and activities, all in an effort to represent and celebrate the diverse community of students who attend Selma High.
Coming back from a three-day weekend, Tuesday started off with travel day, where students were asked to wear airport or tourist attire. Many took the opportunity to attend in their comfiest PJs and slippers.
Wednesday, which was eagerly awaited by many, was themed quinceñera attire. Students were encouraged to wear boots, dama dresses, and even their own quinceñera dresses.
On Thursday, students wore colors that represented their culture’s flags.
Finally, Friday ended with students being encouraged to wear any clothing that represented their culture. Many students showed up in detailed attire, with clothing that dates back years of their culture. This included traditional Punjabi wear, traditional Mexican embroidered pieces, and even a unique take from a few by dressing like a founding father.
Nuria Diaz, a senior who participated in the dress-up days, shared how positive she felt about everyone participating in the spirit week.
“It was just nice to see everybody having fun with our culture,” Diaz states. “Our culture is the most prominent here at our campus, so it felt nice seeing our own [students] love our culture a bit more.”
For lunchtime activities, these consisted of pinning your origins on a map and creating bracelets that represented your culture’s flag. For the latter half of the week, student lunchtime was visited by African Drum Interactive, which showcased the musical traditions of percussion in African culture, and a performance by Los Paisanos accompanied by a live mariachi band.
Regarding how she felt about herself and her culture being represented at Selma High, Lizette Aldape shares how she felt about the activities and dress-up days.
“I think I was well represented because I felt that it was inclusive,” Aldape shares. “I like that they added Mexican heritage [activities] because it felt like it was a big part of my culture being represented.”
Celebrating culture means different things to the students of Selma High, but at the heart of it is a deep love for where they come from.
“It means appreciating and acknowledging your roots and also celebrating your ancestry,” Lizette Aldape expresses.
She shares that she felt connected to others who dressed up as part of the same culture she’s in.
To Nuria Diaz, it means more of honoring the generations before you and showing pride in it.
“It means loving our roots, not being ashamed of who we are, and honoring those who came before us who fought to be here.”
Overall, culture week left a positive impression on the students of Selma High. It filled the halls with spirit and created a sense of community and even belonging for everyone around.
“It felt nice seeing all this [appreciation] happen for the cultures, not just mine, but for everyone’s,” freshman David Vazquez shared.
“They’re actually showing love, not like how it used to be in the past.”
