Cultures Across Campus
By KATELYNN RORBAUGH and LILY PARKER
The Tower
Female Manteca High School Student in Poli club dances in front of student body for the Manteca high multicultural rally (Photo Contributed)
The multicultural assembly is a special event held at Manteca High School to showcase the multitude of cultures on our wide ranging campus.
This year's multicultural assembly was held on Friday, April 24, and it showcased the vibrant cultures and customs that build our school's diverse background.
Organized by teacher MaryAnn Tolbert and the Link Crew class, the event was an overall success, but there are changes that not only Tolbert wants to see, but also the students and staff on our campus.
“I wish there was more details put into the event itself, like different Asian cultures having different dances or showcases because Japanese people and Chinese people don’t have the same cultures. Everyone is different,” said Anthony Nicastro, a campus monitor at Manteca High School.
“I also wish the event would be held after school. It would’ve given it more time and people wouldn’t have skipped out on the second assembly.”
The Tower surveyed classes on campus and came to an overall conclusion that many other students felt the same, that there should be more cultures shown such as the Black Student Union (BSU) club. Twenty-six students responded to the survey.
“I wanted BSU to do something, even a dance, but only four people signed up for the club this year, which is disappointing, but I felt like we could’ve done something,” said Talia Shelbourne, a BSU member.
The Tower sat down with Tolbert, the director of the multicultural assembly, and asked her to discuss her opinions on the rally.
The Tower: “Is there anything you wish you could change about the multicultural rally?”
MaryAnn Tolbert: “I wish the second rally didn’t have to cut be cut short.”
TT: “How long did the entire rally take to get together?”
MT: “We started planning in January, that's when we get together with the clubs. After that, they're on their own to prepare their own dances. Then they let us know by a certain time what music they're doing and things like that.”
TT: “Do you like the order of what clubs go when, and do you like the schedule of the rally? Would you change the order or schedule of the rally if given the choice?”
MT: “I really do wish that we could do one assembly. The rally truly does bring excitement to those who participate in it. However, by the second rally, most of the excitement dies down and they have a lot less passion in it.
TT: “What was your favorite part of the rally as a whole?”
MT: “My favorite part... it was definitely the dances. These dances show their culture and incorporate what these students grew up with and allows them to show off a part of themselves. This year I was really hit by Talia’s spoken word and was disappointed she didn't get to do it in the second rally.”
TT: “Is there anything else you wish you could change or add?”
MT: I also wish there was a bigger rally after school that everyone could go to and participate in. We were talking about things like different food trucks for different ethnicities. Also doing something like a passport you could get stamped by every club there, I wish we could do something like that.”
TT: “Was getting everyone on the same page difficult?”
Manteca High School students pose with flags from different countries and groups from all across the world (Photo Contributed)
MT: The only difficult part in that is the fact there's people who are in multiple groups, so we have to give them enough time to change and get to their spot in time.”
TT: “Was this the first rally that the small band of four played? Do you wish you could change anything about it?”
MT: “Yes, it was the first time they played, and I wish we could change how they were connected because their microphones were cutting out and it wasn't really working. So, I wish I could fix that, but other than that they did good.”
TT: “Would you also like the students to participate more?”
MT: “Yes, I really wish we could get the students more interested in what they were doing because a lot of them didn't seem like they were interested. So, I just wish we could interest them by making in more interactive with the students.”
TT: “Finally, is there anyone you would like to talk about that did well or you would like to mention?”
MT: Mainly my linkcrew, they did a lot of work and executed it well.