On Friday March 1, the auditorium at Chamblee High School came alive with vibrant colors and flavors of the world as we celebrated our annual International Night! This beloved tradition brings together students, faculty, and families from diverse backgrounds to share their cultures and traditions. From delicious foods to live performances, this event can be enjoyed by everyone. 

When living in a diverse world, it is important to celebrate our differences and some say Chamblee’s International Night does just that.

“Chamblee is a very diverse school, and we believe everyone is proud of where they come from, so International Night is a perfect way to show off all the diverse culture,” said Gina Rios, coordinator of the event.

This year at Chamblee’s International Night, there was cultural representation from countries across the globe.

“There are 43 countries being represented, and there is representation of countries in all seven continents,” said Rios.

With so many countries to represent, preparation for this event can be difficult due to the extensive planning required and limited time.

“The logistics of planning with this many countries can be hard to get all the preparations done for the different displays and stuff,” said Megan Hembree, coordinator of the event.

Nevertheless, many think it’s a significant event for students to take part in.

“Not only does it give you the opportunity to express the pride and uniqueness of your culture, it’s also a great opportunity to connect,” said Hembree.

Some say International Night creates a sense of community at our school because it brings people together to explore our diverse backgrounds. 

“Getting together and working to create these presentations to present for others to learn is amazing—we get to appreciate other people and their cultures,” said Rios.

Summer Palmer (‘27), representing Jamaica during International Night, says her participation stems from her desire to represent her own heritage and explore others’ cultures.

“I wanted to participate to represent my people and see other cultures, because I love learning about everyone’s culture and it’s interesting to see the different food choices, ” said Palmer. 

Ire Okunola (‘26) says he participated in International Night to embrace diversity and celebrate the uniqueness of various cultures.

“I wanted to participate in International Night to share my culture with people, and also experience other people’s cultures,” said Okunola. 

Raisa Kabir (‘25), representing Bangladesh, shares that her table featured decorations that highlight Bangladesh’s embroidery artwork and many different dishes to share.

“I really wanted to focus on the artwork and textile industry of Bangladesh, because Bangladesh is known for its arts, crafts, and embroidery work. We want to share this information at our table through our decoration and setup. We also [brought] in lots of Bangladeshi dishes because Bangladesh has such a flavorful and diverse cuisine, ranging from street food to snacks to homemade food, which is the best. We truly want everyone at International Night to get a taste of Bangladesh,” said Kabir.

Evelin Melendez-Ortega (‘27), representing Mexico, made the table presentable by decorating it so people will be drawn to learn more about Mexican culture.

“We will be showing some information from Mexico and have traditional foods and drinks for people to try. We will [also] be wearing traditional clothing,” said Melendez-Ortega.

Leah Yared (‘26), representing Ethiopia, shares how she will be showing off Ethiopia’s culture.

“I will be participating in the International Night here at Chamblee by representing Ethiopia/Eritrea through sharing our food and performing different traditional dances,” said Yared.

Anna Chamnanphong (‘24), the lead planner and organizer of International Night, as well as representing Laos, explains why she loves this event so much.

“International Night is literally my Roman Empire—it genuinely caused a domino effect in my life and that’s why I’m so dedicated to it,” said Chamnanphong. 

Anna shares how she thinks Chamblee’s International Night promotes unity at our school. 

“Using International Night as a way to promote unity at Chamblee is as simple as showing up to the event itself. Even at this year’s International Night, I witnessed CHS’s community interacting and celebrating one another’s culture the whole night,” said Chamnanphong. “What I felt was so successful this year was promoting diversity as the focal point of this event. CHS has so many cultures that I felt needed to have a spotlight, and International Night was a great way to highlight every single one of them.”