The Upper School's South Asian Student Alliance (SASA) celebrated the Hindu holiday of Holi last Friday. Featuring Bollywood music, samosas, and a rousing game of cricket, the event brought students out to the Quad during lunch for fun times. The highlight, of course, was when students got to throw the holiday's traditional colored powder, a sign of the brightness and renewal of spring. Covered in the colored powder, our students were all smiles. We are thankful to SASA for planning the Upper School's first-ever recognition of Holi, and we're looking forward to continuing this tradition in future years. 

During our Community Time Assembly this week, the IS MSA (Muslim Student Alliance) shared a presentation on Ramadan to the division. As part of the presentation, they shared some traditions through a video and prepared speeches about fasting, prayer, personal experiences, and the meanings behind some of the practices. Maryam Brin ’28, Sofia Elrefai ’29, Marya Khan ’28, Alya Khan ’28, Emre Kirgiz ’28, and Ayman Teshome ’29 took the lead on developing this opportunity for learning about religious and cultural celebrations.

Each of our second grade classes made a return visit to their partner assisted living facilities at Chesterbrook Residences, Sunrise McLean Village, and Culpepper Garden, this time with informed action to build connections and bring plenty of smiles! Second graders played games, worked on puzzles, read books, and sang favorite songs with their new friends. 

The Upper School welcomed the Lunar New Year with an engaging assembly infused with educational insights, cultural exploration, and inclusive commemoration. Students performed the lion dance, sang Chinese songs, and shared the significance of the Chinese dragon onstage. A surprise guest, restaurateur Peter Chang, added to the festive atmosphere with his New Year greeting. Following the assembly, festivities continued with dumpling making, spring roll tasting, and a Chinese opera performance. These events not only celebrated Lunar New Year traditions but also fostered unity and appreciation for diverse cultures within our school community. Let the spirit of joy and togetherness ignited by this celebration continue to resonate throughout our halls.

The IS Black Student Alliance (BSA) put on an amazing educational and cultural celebration for Black History Month. The assembly was opened by Serena Burwell ’29 who shared a brief history about Black History Month before Kaia Davis ’29 and Mackenzie Hodge ’29 read Maya Angelou’s poem “Caged Bird.”. Upper School students Isabella Sequar ’24, Lauren Hilliard ’25 and Alex Davis ’25 performed “All the Stars” (by Kendrick Lamar and SZA) on saxophone, drums, and the piano. The celebration also included a student Q&A slideshow by Isis Nzekwe ‘28, Imani Nzekwe ‘28, Omega Girma ‘28, Chinwe Chuke ‘28, Isaac Abraham ‘28, Ismail Karim ‘28, and Dwayle Smith ‘28. On March 1, we will continue to celebrate by incorporating the IS Black History Month documentary produced by Emon Ransford ‘29, Nate Ayalew ‘29, and Lola Burrell ‘29 and an interactive jeopardy game during an advisory period. Thank you to everyone who participated in the assembly. View the photo gallery.

The Middle School has celebrated the Lunar New Year in several ways these past few weeks. Most recently, fifth graders wound their way around campus to celebrate the Year of the Dragon with their annual Lunar New Year dragon parade. This was the first year that second graders joined the parade. View the photo gallery here.