Colors of India Light Up Culture Night

Tuesday, Gill St. Bernard’s second annual Culture Night drew an enthusiastic gathering to Evans Hall. Guests enjoyed an informal evening together with potluck dishes representing the cultural heritages of our GSB families. According to Director of Diversity & Multicultural Affairs Tracey Goodson Barrett, who inaugurated the event last spring, “Culture Night has a wonderful element of community building to it. It is a chance for our families to meet one another, make connections, have fun and perhaps share something about their own culture.” The centerpiece of the evening was a performance by the dance company Colors of India. The group took the audience through a brief history of Indian dance, combining short educational narratives with lively and fun performances. After the performance, juniors Emily Smith and Alan LaTournous spoke briefly about the Model U.N. program at GSB. Following their remarks, the program’s faculty advisers, Upper School history teacher Candace Pryor Brown and Upper School French teacher Carrie Grabowski, recognized this year’s senior members. Receiving an engraved gavel for having served in the Model U.N. for all four years of Upper School were Jason Berg, Edie Brazil, Matt D’Ovidio, Kiera Murphy, Karina Nehra, Surbhi Srinivas, and Chris Varghese. In addition, seniors Vivian Chang, Christian Ernst, and Jake Panza received certificates recognizing their participation in the program. Present as last night’s ceremony were Chang, D’Ovidio, Murphy, and Varghese. Congratulating the students, Barrett offered, “It was wonderful to have the Model U.N. be part of this year’s event. It gave our parents and younger students a chance to learn more about the work they do with international relations and diplomacy, and it gave us a chance to recognize these students for their amazing work.”