Celebrating Asian Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month

Greenwood celebrated both Asian Heritage Month and Jewish Heritage Month throughout May through a variety of student-led initiatives. Celebrations began with a kickoff assembly featuring student speakers from both communities who spoke about meaningful travel experiences and their connection to cultural foods. 

Throughout the month, members from the Asian Affinity Group, Jewish Culture Club, and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Affinity Group, created and presented daily morning announcements highlighting Asian-owned and Jewish-owned businesses, as well as notable Jewish-identifying athletes. 

Lunchtime extravaganzas provided opportunities for students to explore different communities through food and hands-on experiences. Students engaged in a movie screening of My Neighbor Totoro organized by BIPOC Affinity Group and a Games Day featuring activities such as Mahjong and Chinese Airplane Chess hosted by the Asian Affinity Group. Students sampled snacks from diverse Asian communities and explored traditional Jewish breads while learning about their cultural significance through student-created informational displays. Students also participated in activities such as chai tea bag making, henna, and origami.  The Jewish Culture Club, in collaboration with our Coordinator, Service Learning, welcomed a guest speaker from Ve’ahavta to share her story followed by assembling hygiene packages. 

The month of May was a wonderful example of how our Inclusion, Belonging, and Pluralism Committee collaborates with affinity and alliance groups to plan and lead meaningful learning opportunities for the school community. The affinity and alliance groups we currently have at Greenwood are: Asian Affinity Group, BIPOC Affinity Group, Gender & Sexuality Alliance, Jewish Culture Club, and Muslim Student Alliance.