“It’s a foretaste of heaven,” says Howard Munson, Puget Sound Adventist Academy, (PSAA) Bible teacher, speaking of the cultural diversity on the campus. He quotes Psalm 133:1: “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity.”
In April, Gail Orr, PSAA vice-principal, organized the first multicultural day in which students had the opportunity to share their unique heritage. “All participation was voluntary but the response was tremendous,” said Orr. “The goal was for students to gain appreciation for and celebrate the cultural diversity of their classmates.”
Students set up booths to reflect traditions and foods from their culture. Going through the booths was a culinary experience, with samples of Norwegian lefsa, Japanese vegetarian sushi and East Indian flat bread. Displays also included games, artwork, books, clothing and music. Fourteen cultures were represented: Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, African-American, Chinese, Jamaican, East Indian, West Indies, Hispanic, Italian, Swedish, Filipino, Norwegian and, of course, American, with hot dogs, apple pie and baseball.
From left: PSAA students Julia Jun, Hae Jung Um, Jae-Yeol Shim and In-Soo Han shared traditions of dress, games, sports, art and food at their Korean booth on multicultural day.
