Originally published on 4/1/21
On Monday, March 29, Shadow Creek High School held its annual Cultural Extravaganza. The event was created to celebrate the various cultures within the Shadow Creek High School community.
“Culture Extravaganza is a yearly show that demonstrates the beautiful unique cultures of our Shadow Creek Sharks!,” shared one of the extravaganza directors, Samah Haidar. “We have dances, songs, and acts from India, Mexico, Greece, America, China and more. The show brings us together to celebrate our community and helps us better respect and appreciate one another.”
This year, the show’s fifth, had student directors Nimah Haidar and Samah Haidar organizing the event. The show was sponsored by SCHS teacher, Mrs. Raziyya Khatoon with help from Lion Dance Team sponsor, Mrs. Dalan Tran.
“Shadow Creek High School is a school of incredible diversity. Each of our students have a unique background and the Cultural Extravaganza celebrates that diversity. When we make an effort to learn about one another's cultures we have more respect and appreciation for our fellow classmates and community members,” Samah Haidar said.
The Cultural Extravaganza began five years ago when a couple of students had the inspiration to begin planning it. Since then, it has continued to grow and each year new cultures and acts were added that were not previously represented.
“One of the best parts about Shadow Creek High School is it is such a diverse school filled with students from all kinds of cultural backgrounds. Cultural Extravaganza allows students to perform an aspect of their culture, and we often have cultural food available for people to try. Each year, a student led team and sponsor work together to lead and put together the show,” shared student director Nimah Haidar.
When asked about the organization of the show, Nimah and Samah answered, “We worked for months since the beginning of the year to ensure the Extravaganza could still occur amidst a pandemic. We knew how important the event was for many of our students, teachers, and community. Each year, people tell us how much of a bright light the Extravaganza is and how much they learn from watching the show. In a year where so many things had to be canceled, we worked our hardest to make sure the Extravaganza would go on.”