Although there are small celebrations throughout the year where families and friends of Oakhill are invited to share their diverse heritage and backgrounds, we reserve one day a year to hold our large festival of colors, foods, dress, music, dance, and the people of Oakhill’s culturally rich community, the Global Celebration.

This year’s celebration began with a show of Scottish bagpipes and an exhibit of student projects. Each grade level takes on a project, an in-depth study of another country to show the unique people, places, food, and global legacies left by those countries. In the afternoon the school is treated to a special guest who shares his worldly travels through photographs. This year, India was in the spotlight.

There is no doubt that during the evening activities, the smells of all of the different foods are what brings people to each table, but it’s the conversation that makes them stay. With the buzz of Salsa music playing in the background and swarms of students dancing along, parents and friends of Oakhill share stories of their unique travels to other countries and artifacts and heirlooms that remind them of home or their lives abroad.

For such a small community, Oakhill’s population is grand in its mix of cultures and ethnicities. What a unique opportunity we have in the Global Celebration for creating deeper bonds as a community by sharing the uniquenesses that bring our world closer together.