Cultural highlights

Angelique Flores

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Ocean View High School students are celebrating

diversity this week.

Known as International Week, students will have a showcase of dancers

performing traditional numbers from Polynesian, Korean, Mexican and

Native American cultures.

“It’s the one big event we put on to promote cultural awareness and

tolerance,” said senior Brandon Chao, one of the school’s Associated

Study Body Commissioners of Cultural Awareness.

Besides the performances, students will enjoy foods from other

countries. Students are also showing their support of each day’s

highlighted culture by wearing certain colors such yellow, red, blue or

green to represent the ethnic group being honored that day. The school’s

Latino Entre Amigos Club will crown Miss Cinco de Mayo on Friday.

“[International Week] gets the students involved,” said Amber Rogers,

of the Associated Student Body Commissioners of Cultural Awareness.

The annual celebration has been a tradition since the school opened 25

years ago. While Chao and fellow commissioner Amber Rogers promote

diversity throughout the year with posters and lunchtime activities, this

is the school’s principal event honoring different cultures. With a

student population that’s 28% Latino, the two commissioners work closely

with the active Entre Amigos club putting International Week together.

Ocean View High School is one the few schools that has cultural

awareness commissioners who were added to the Associated Student Body

staff eight years ago.