This year the Ellis tradition continued with families deeply involved in preparing and sharing in ethnic foods, activities, and performances by both students and parents. Lindsey Barrowman, parent of Kaylee Wiser, Class of 2024, said that her daughter began talking about Heritage Day weeks in advance. She believes Heritage Day is important because, “...the girls really get excited about the learning about the different cultures and trying a variety of foods.”

Heritage Day is also a celebration of Ellis’s commitment to diversity in its classrooms, faculty, and staff in order to prepare girls to make a difference. Each School plans special Heritage Day activities in their classrooms and in assemblies. Across the Lower School alone, 16 different languages are spoken at home between students and their families. In their morning assembly, girls began by greeting everyone in each of these 16 languages which included Bengali, Chinese, Finnish, French, Malay, Russian, Swahili, Tamil, and Turkish. The assembly also featured an Irish dance performance, steel drum music from Guyana, and an Indian story about Onam, the King’s Homecoming Festival. Students ended the assembly by singing “Zimbole,” an African song meaning “peace.”

The highlight of Heritage Day was the spread of delicious foods prepared by Ellis parents. Students sampled traditional foods from many different countries including India, Cuba, Uruguay, Sweden, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Lebanon, and South Korea. Dr. Usha Karumudi, parent of Sreethi Ramineni, Class of 2023, agreed that Heritage Day is a great way for students to gain exposure to different cultures, particularly through food, “Students have an opportunity to really challenge their palates at a young age,” she said.

The Ellis School’s Heritage Day helps girls become confident in their identities and informed about others. The celebration of food, music, and language is a terrific illustration of our values to pursue, support, and embrace diversity of all kinds. It also allows for a creative and engaging learning environment that has personal meaning for each and every girl, so that they emerge from Ellis empowered and able to facilitate collaboration and cooperation.