Odell Elementary School recently hosted its 2nd Annual Cultural Night to celebrate the many cultures within their school community.

“We have such a beautifully diverse school community, and it is one of our greatest assets,” said teacher Ashtyn Berry, an organizer of the event and former Cabarrus County Schools and District Teacher-of-the-Year. “The vision for Cultural Night started with one of our school improvement subcommittees called the Student Engagement Committee.

“We decided together that we wanted to be even more intentional about welcoming ALL of our families into Dragon Nation. We wanted to send the message that school culture and home culture don’t need to be separate. In fact, diversity is our strength and should be used to enhance and enrich school culture and classroom instruction.”

This year’s event included:

• 20 Cultural booths hosted by Odell Elementary families showcasing cultures from countries including Jamaica, Egypt, Colombia, India, Belize, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, Scotland, Russia, and more.

• Language Showcase hosted by multilingual learners.
• 3rd Grade Art Auction to raise money for hurricane relief efforts in Puerto Rico.
• Artwork and classwork representing students’ unique cultures and identities.
• Music and dance performances by the Odell Elementary chorus and individual students.
• Food trucks with a variety of global cuisine. The lineup included:

• • Thai Fresh Grill
  • A Taste of Hawaii
  • EmpanadasRUS
  • Tito’s Tacos
  • Tropical TheLights
  • Repicci’s Italian Ice and Gelato
  • Chickpeasy On Wheels
  • Last Chance Grill
  • The Lost Cajun
  • Frios Gourmet Pops
  • S&L Funnel Cakes
• S’mores for family fun around a campfire!

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