Many students cheer on the Vikings weekly at sports games, drama performances or coffeehouse on Friday nights. These school-wide activities are cultural rites of passage for American teenagers. However, other students spend their free time celebrating their culture through activities of similar importance.
Lets take a look into different ethnicities in the community:
Indian Badminton:
In addition to the South Asian Society’s activities, 10 to 30 members of the Indian community play non-competitive badminton games every Friday and occasionally Sunday in Whitman’s main gym, exercising, socializing and discussing anything from politics to upcoming Indian holidays.
Whitman parent Ravina Malkani, the group organizer, says she believes badminton has a strong sentimental value for many Indians.
“Most of the people in my mother’s generation are first-generation immigrants, and they, over the years, have formed a close relationship,” said junior Maansi Seth, a badminton participant.
Groups in California, where badminton is popular, inspired Ravina to organize games for the Whitman community. However, several individuals from Virginia also currently play with Malkani’s group. They’re in the process of organizing games closer to home.
“It’s a lovely way to end your weekend, if it’s on Sunday, or start your weekend, if it’s on Friday,” Malkani says.
Anyone is welcome to join the upcoming game this Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. for $5. Due to the abundance of activities at Whitman, the games will be relocated to either the Bethesda-Chevy Chase or Walter Johnson gym.
Russian/SLAVA Bazaars:
SLAVA, the Russian National Honors Society, takes trips to learn about Russian culture. They visited a local Russian school in early November and plan to attend a ceremony honoring Whitman’s namesake.
“Some of us are actually going to the Russian embassy in a couple of weeks for the dedication of a statue of Walt Whitman in Russia,” SLAVA president senior Konrad Slepoy says.
SLAVA also attended an annual Russian bazaar Oct. 3 and 4 which attracted many students, as it featured traditional foods such as beef stroganoff and a “Russian ravioli”’ called Pelmeni.
Muslim/MSA Religious Gatherings:
A group of Muslim students participate in religious gatherings at the mosque for the Friday prayer every week. However, mosques are not only a prayer house for students.
Muslim Student Association president Sheeva Nooroz says the mosque she attends holds a Sunday school, among other activities.
“There are several youth and junior youth clubs that have daily or weekly activities, such as playing sports like soccer and basketball or gardening and planting flowers around the community,” she says.
Muslim students also have the opportunity to educate others about their culture by completing community service projects, such as decorating halls, buying supplies, creating posters or placing fruit and pastries on different tables to represent Muslim traditions at the annual International Night.
Italian Club:
The Italian club looks to its heritage to guide their different games, food and activities during the year. One of the oldest sports in human history, Bocce ball, the highly-competitive game of lawn-bowling, brings out the best in the club.
“In the past, we have played Bocce ball, visited a museum in D.C. that had an exhibit about Pompei, received cooking lessons and gone on our annual visit to 2 Amy’s,” Italian Club president senior Lisa Esposito says.
She hopes that the club can visit the Italian embassy later this year, and work at an Italian festival to increase interest in the language and culture.
Chinese Schools:
Chinese students not only have access to many clubs and activities at Whitman, but also numerous opportunities through local Chinese schools such as Hope, Li-Ming and HuaFu Chinese School. The schools teach the nuances of the language alongside other cultural traditions.
Chinese Club president senior Katie Chen attends the Li-Ming Chinese School, where there is an array of activities such as badminton, clay, taichi, Chinese painting, lion dance and karate club in addition to the basic language class.
“There are many competitions held around this area directed towards the Chinese School, so many of the students participate,” she says.
The most important competition is field day, where schools compete in track and field competitions, tug of war and other events. For the musically inclined, there are two major Chinese chorus groups in this area, called Jin Hua: Chinese Children Chorus of Great Washington and Glory Star.
All cultural clubs welcome any new student interested in broadening their awareness of the world.
