By Sam Foote, Interim EICL Coordinator

As I reflect on our annual EPS Culture Night, a student-organized evening that welcomes families and students to share and celebrate the cultural diversity of our community, I come back to the words of Maya Angelou: “We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry, and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are equal in value, no matter what their color.”

And as I stood in the LPC on that evening, taking in the abundant aromas of spices from across the globe, observing the pride in students draped in their traditional and cultural clothing, and hearing the joyful curiosity of connecting to traditions and histories that are different from our own—it was never more clear that the tapestry of EPS is rich in color, texture, and style. Woven together by our shared desire to see one another across and between cultures.

With over twenty countries and distinct cultures represented across five continents, our EPS tapestry offers us the chance to look both inward and outward and to understand our place in an interconnected world. As I moved around the LPC, taking fluffy bites of biryani, tasting the tartness of the lime in my esquites, and passionately discussing the importance of Bad Bunny’s Puerto Rican representation during the latest Super Bowl, I was reminded that despite these foods and music not being of my own culture, they bring me to a familiar place.

Every weekend as I was growing up, my grandmother, who came to the United States from Scotland when she was just nineteen, would put on a pot of English Breakfast tea, open a pack of shortbread cookies, and tell me stories about the town of Greenock, where she grew up. This act of sharing across the kitchen table, the warmth of the tea between my hands, and the buttery shortbread crumbling onto my clothes, was more than just a weekend tradition; it was an act of remembering who I am, the ancestors I come from, and the comfort and deep care that come from sharing food and conversation.

The foods, rituals, music, and histories represented across Culture Night may not have been my own, but the feelings of comfort and appreciation of sharing these moments together is a reminder that all of us can connect to what culture provides. Culture can provide us a sense of home that we carry with us; it is a never-ending source of joy, care, celebration, and remembrance. Though it may look different across our identities and places of belonging, we can all understand the feelings that arise when we take that first bite of a meal prepared with love and care, when we hear the beat of a song, or when we gather and listen to stories that have been passed down and told throughout human history. These feelings are universal.

But it is equally important to be a witness to the unique and limitless ways in which culture is expressed through our own individual worldview. Just as we can see each other through cultural connections, we can also turn inward and deeply understand ourselves. When introducing her sister’s hula performance, current sixth grader Juliette-Joyce could not have said it better: “Through hula, we learn who we are. We learn where we come from. We learn to honor the ʻike—the knowledge passed down from generation to generation.”

As much as Culture Night is about sharing across cultures, it is also a moment for our students, families, and the entire EPS community to deeply understand and express who they are. Culture Night provides an opportunity for these expressions to take center stage, literally! In just one example of many of our amazing performances, Claire (’28), Dingchen (’28), and Sherilyn (’32) demonstrated the grace and power of a Chinese fan dance, flowing across the stage with confidence and pride that could be felt throughout the auditorium. As a teacher, I feel a deep sense of gratitude for the opportunity to get to know each of these student performers in a wholly different way. I did not need these performers to tell me who they are, because I could see it and feel it through their dance, their song, their rhythm, and the various ways their music became an extension of themselves.

The EPS community enjoys performances, cultural sharing, and connection during Culture Night 2026.

As we continue to live in a world marked by increased disconnection, loneliness, and othering, it is more important than ever to build a community that centers on knowing. Knowing each other and the unique perspectives and life experiences we bring to the table and deepening our knowledge of ourselves. Culture Night may not be the only opportunity at EPS to express who you are, learn about yourself, and make connections across identities; our hope and desire is that this is present everywhere throughout our campus. But creating an evening where we can put notebooks or laptops away, let grades and tests drift from our minds, if even for a few hours, and fully be together for the purpose of centering the celebration of cultural diversity is a unique opportunity I hope remains as long as EPS does.

To wrap up my reflections, I wanted to express my gratitude to the students, families, faculty, and staff who made this event possible. To the Allies for Equity club, Nehmat, Sabina, Anja, Loula, Anvi (all Class of 2027), Cass (’26), Brennan, Aanya, Myra (all Class of 2027), and Olivia (’29), and honorary member Ben (’27), thank you for your tireless dedication to this event. You planned, promoted, and put on an incredible evening, that just so happened to be in the middle of an intense exam week, not an easy feat! To my partners in EICL, Hye-Won Dandino and Jenn Chi, your support, problem-solving, and our shared love for all things belonging could not have been more needed to empower our students to host such a powerful evening. To our families who took the time to bring food, games, knowledge, and joy to our campus, we see you, and we are so happy to be in community with you. And finally, to our facilities team, there is not enough gratitude I could express for all the work you do to keep our community safe and celebrations seamless; none of this would be possible without you.