Honoring heritage: Multi-cultural rally returns for second year in a row
By CINDY PONCE
The Tower
Walking up and down the wings at Manteca High School, you see all types of people from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures. Students with garments unique to their ethnicity, different skin tones, and some may even be speaking in a different tongue.
Everyone has a story worth sharing.
Students are given the chance to share and appreciate their peers’ various cultures through the multi-cultural assembly on April 11, which returns for the second consecutive year after a four-year hiatus.
The assembly consists of various clubs performing and the unity of everyone’s heritage on campus.
“What makes up Manteca High are all of the diverse ethnicities that come together and bring their own heritage, their own cultures, and we become a Buffalo community,” Link Crew advisor and teacher MaryAnn Tolbert said.
After students experienced the multi-cultural assembly for the first time last year, many are excited to see what’s in store for performances this time around.
When asked about what students should be expecting for this year’s assembly, Anaya Harper, the Link Crew student in charge of organizing the assembly, said: “A variety of clubs will be showing their cultures through performances to help express the diversity on campus. As of now we have HYLC, Poly Club, Thespian Club and many more performing.”
Whether it be the club members preparing and practicing their performance or the Link Crew students in charge of organizing the assembly, every contributor is expected to have their work set out for them.
The multi-cultural assembly not only helps showcase the diversity on campus but also allows students to be able to feel more connected to their heritage.
Especially for students who sometimes may forget about where they originate from. The multi-cultural assembly reminds students on campus that everyone comes from different customs and traditions, and it is important to respect others for that.
Eighty one percent of students enrolled at Manteca High School are minorities: 62 percent of these students are Hispanic, 10 percent are Asian, 5 percent are Black, and 2 percent are Native American and/or Pacific Islander.
There is a wide array of cultures that deserve to be represented on campus and the multi-cultural assembly is the best place for just that.
“I believe the multi-cultural assembly is a good opportunity for many people to share their culture with the school that not many may know about or be exposed to in their everyday lives,” said Jada Navales, president of Asian Pacific Islander (API) Club.
This previous year was all new to students and clubs due to the COVID-19 outbreak that lasted four years, forcing Link Crew to cancel the assembly all together.
Current students at Manteca High School had never seen any assembly or rally like this one.
Last year’s multi-cultural assembly opened with students walking into the gym with a wide variety of countries’ flags that represent the students that make up Manteca High. Then, students walked across the gym with colorful sticky notes and created a rainbow while the well-known cover “Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole played over head.
The clubs who participated were HYLC, BSU, Poly Club, API, and Thespian Club. All clubs mentioned performed various acts. Some of them were more traditional with HYLC’s Folklorico, and Thespian Clubs Fiddler on the Roof performance, representing pre-revolution Russia. While clubs like API and BSU created modern, music mix tapes paired with captivating choreography.
The assembly was not only song and dance but also included impactful messages. A poem written by Kristine Timario was read aloud, highlighting the feeling of wanting to have a community of your own that understands the struggles and challenges that come with being a person of color and living far from your family.
Timario found that community within API.
"I think it’s one of the favorite events for a lot of people,” Tolbert said, “because they really enjoy seeing the performances.”