Chamblee takes pride in its cultural diversity, and this diversity is celebrated annually on Chamblee International Night; every year on this night, students set up tables of food, wear traditional clothing, and participate in performances to represent the countries of their heritage. This year’s event, which took place on March 28th, was an incredible success.

Ms. Gina Rios, a Spanish teacher at Chamblee and the organizer of International Night, believes that International Night is important for celebrating our school’s diversity.

“It is very important for Chamblee to have an international night because we have such a variety of cultures in the school. International Night unites the community together, and we’re all here to have fun and have a good chance for everybody to get along. That’s the most important part for me: people getting along,” said Rios.

Rios enjoys all of the many aspects of International Night that students have the opportunity to participate in.

“Oh my God, my favorite part is the food, but I love all of it. The culture, the dances to different types of music, and just spending time with each other,” said Rios.

International Night gives students a chance to connect more deeply to their cultures, such as by cooking traditional foods with friends and family.

“My table brought a bunch of food. We had rice and these little wheat balls called couscous, which you put chickpeas and sauce in,” said Srabon Hossain (‘23), who helped run the Bangladesh table.

Another way students can get in touch with their roots on International Night is by performing for the crowd.

“My friend and I danced to a Telugu song called ‘Tum Tum.’ This was my first International Night, and the dance was my favorite part because it was just a lot of fun,” said Shreya Sehgal (‘26).

On International Night, the Germany table was set up by students taking German class at school, not ethnic Germans; these students used the event as a hands-on way to learn about German culture.

“I’ve been taking German since I was nine years old, and it’s really been a big part of my life. I’ve been learning a lot about German culture, so I thought it would be a good idea to help with and make some food for the Germany table. I made käsespätzle, which is a kind of cheese noodle dish,” said Harper Dodson (‘25).

Many students and teachers enjoyed tasting the wide variety of dishes from almost every continent.

“My favorite part about International Night was trying all the food. Even though I’m vegetarian, there were still a lot of options for me,” said Dodson. 

Chamblee’s yearly International Night is truly a memorable experience that allows students to appreciate and learn more about each other’s cultures. 

Carol Li (‘24), who helped man the China table, said, “International Night helped me become more aware of my own culture and share it with other students at the school.”