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World Cultures Night 2025: A Joyful Celebration of Global Traditions and Community

World Cultures Night 2025: A Joyful Celebration of Global Traditions and Community

On May 16, The Peck School came alive with color, music, and connection as families, faculty, and staff gathered for World Cultures Night—a beloved tradition that celebrates the rich diversity within our community and across the globe.
Now in its decades-long run, World Cultures Night (World Cultures Night, a decades-long tradition at Peck) is much more than an event—it’s a joyful culmination of a yearlong journey exploring identity, heritage, and global traditions. Hosted by the Peck Parents Association’s World Cultures Committee in collaboration with Cymone Williamson, Director of Community Connections & Belonging, this year’s celebration featured new and exciting additions while honoring cherished traditions.


Throughout the evening, students and families explored more than a dozen hands-on cultural booths, each offering interactive experiences from around the world. Guests crafted papel picado (a traditional Mexican folk art), rangoli, Chinese lanterns, and tiki and Carnival masks. Others played Cricket, admired dolls from around the globe, received intricate henna designs, or watched sugar transformed into their very own Chinese sugar painting. Students also tested their geography skills with flag and continent trivia—all while discovering the rich cultural stories behind each activity.
The energy only(intensified)  as the crowd gathered for performances. One of the highlights was a powerful Korean sword dance and traditional drumming performance by the Woorigarak Korean Cultural Arts Center, which captivated the audience with its precision, rhythm, and storytelling.

 
Lower School Music Teacher Mrs. Whichman also led a spirited community dance, inviting students and families to practice the various cultural folk dances learned in Lower School music classrooms. The fashion show, always a favorite, showcased students dressed in traditional attire of their heritage, proudly celebrating their cultural roots through vibrant colors, patterns, and styles. And no World Cultures Night would be complete without the International Feast. In true potluck style, families brought in homemade dishes that reflected their heritage—offering guests a culinary tour of the world, from savory to sweet.


“This event is such a powerful reflection of our values at Peck,” said Williamson. “It fosters cultural awareness, inclusion, and most of all, a sense of belonging for every student and family. World Cultures Night is where we come together to learn, to share, and to celebrate one another.”


World Cultures Night continues to be a shining example of how joy, curiosity, and shared experience can bring a community closer together—and it remains a highlight of the school year for many at Peck.

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