In the last week of March, Bolton School celebrated its annual culture week, with the focus being a Cultural Dress Day held on Friday 27th March. Students were given a variety of internal opportunities to foster cultural curiosity, embrace diversity and showcase identity.
Culture Day is recognised by schools and communities worldwide as a way to celebrate cultural diversity and one’s own heritage.
Often, sharing experiences through food, fashion, the arts, and language inspires an appreciation for the multicultural community that thrives on campus.
Bolton School is no different and prides itself in celebrating a diverse demographic of staff and pupils within the school community
For Culture Week, these are just some of the key highlights that were on the Bolton School itinerary.
The week began with a meeting on Monday that announced Manchester Metropolitan University’s ‘Mother Tongue, Other Tongue’ Competition, by which students can delve into the intricacies of foreign languages through poetry.
Following on from this, Wednesday marked a culture fair held in the Great Hall with student-led stalls discussing various aspects of their respective cultural histories.
The event was especially popular amongst students lower down school with world quizzes, dance performances, and the chance to win prizes.
Yet, the pièce de résistance of the week had to be Friday’s Cultural Dress Day – a day on which students were given the chance to dress in clothes that reflected their identity.
Many chose to honour their cultural heritage through wearing traditional, ethnic attire such as saris and shalwar kameez from South Asia or abayas from the Middle East.
Yet beyond culture, students were also given the opportunity to share other aspects of their identity like personal interests.
Y13 Prefect Meerab Adeel shared the following about what the day meant to her:
“Culture Day was about everyone coming together and showing what makes them unique. This year felt extra special because there was so much energy and effort from everyone, from all the different student-led stalls to the outfits that people chose to wear to express themselves.”
In essence, Culture Day provides a platform for cultural expression and exploration: instilling in students to be curious, embrace and learn from diverse cultural experiences.
And this year, Bolton School definitely understood the assignment.
By Anamika Vardhan