Dozens of students showcased dances, fashions, and flags from over 50 different countries during Meadowbrook’s annual International Flag Ceremony on Thursday, May 29.

As Chesterfield County’s specialty center for the International Baccalaureate program, it’s no surprise that Meadowbrook High School is home to one of the most diverse student populations in the county. In honor of this diversity, the Meadowbrook Interact Club, partnered with the school’s World Language Department, held their annual International Flag Ceremony on Thursday, May 29, celebrating the different cultures found within their school.

“This is a wonderful celebration of culture in Chesterfield County and a great tribute to the culture here at Meadowbrook,” says David Wyman, Dale District representative on the Chesterfield County School Board. “Not only do you have cultural diversity, but within that diversity, you celebrate the individuality of each culture. By attending Meadowbrook, graduates have a leg up because of the cultural diversity that resides here.”

During their 15th annual ceremony, students paraded over 50 different flags representing the home countries of past and present students at the school. Three new flags – Turkey, Romania, and Tibet – were also added this year, representing students currently at the school from those countries.

“Everything went very smoothly,” says Paul Daszkiewicz, math teacher and sponsor of the Interact Club at Meadowbrook. “The kids were just thrilled to see their friends and cultures represented on stage. I got chills hearing the kids cheering.”

From its humble beginnings as a small ceremony with hand-made flags, the International Flag Ceremony has quickly grown into a huge celebration, featuring more than just a presentation of flags. Other events included African dances by the African Dance Club, a traditional Indian dance by student Reena Patel, a modern Latino dance by the Latino Club and a collection of African folktales by the Monarch Players.

“The performances went real smooth,” says freshman Somaly Ky, who was one of those representing Cambodia during the ceremony. “I loved the Latin Dance Club dance.”

Along with the dances, the Meadowbrook singers performed two songs, “Chili Con Carne” and “Mata del Anima Sola,” while the event closed with an international fashion show featuring clothing from Nigeria, India, Guatemala, Vietnam, Japan, Pakistan, China, Colombia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Haiti, Iran, Honduras, El Salvador, Ghana, Liberia, South Korea, and Puerto Rico.

“It was just fantastic to see the kids come together like this,” says Thomas Ferrell, upcoming Associate Principal at Meadowbrook. “Meadowbrook is America.”

Though it may seem as if an event this size would be one planned by teachers, Daszkiewicz says that it is almost entirely student-driven, with support of the South Richmond Rotary Club, sponsors of Meadowbrook’s Interact Club.

“The students come up with the ideas and I just get out of their way,” says Daszkiewicz. “It’s different every year because we have a different set of kids; we are not aware of the students’ cultural skills until we start to organize the event, The students know what they are good at and they have their own ideas.”

For the audience, the ceremony was a rousing success.

“I am just so very proud that Meadowbrook is the most culturally diverse school in Chesterfield County and resides in the Dale district,” says Jim Holland, Dale district representative on the Chesterfield Board of Supervisors. “I hope that the students take advantage of this opportunity to learn about other cultures. I am so very proud to serve in a community that embraces so many cultures.”

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