International Festival, the annual multicultural festival, was held on April 13 from 5 to 9 p.m. in the Commons.  

Multicultural festivals expose students to different cultures, languages, cuisines, dances, music, and other forms of art. They broaden students’ mindsets and promote an inclusive school environment.  

“I think it’s always good to learn about new cultures and ideas, and I think that it’s great to learn about different parts of the world and to learn of the similarities and differences between other cultures,” German club officer Amanda Sobrino said. 

Various performances on the commons stage showcased different aspects of diverse cultures including K-pop dance groups, the traditional Filipino dance known as the Tinikling, Bollywood, ballet, and traditional Bharatanatyam. 

“Events like I-Fest are really important to the identity of who we are as Clements High School, not only because this is one of our biggest events but because this is one of our biggest events that very purposefully celebrates the diverse multicultural experiences of our students,” I-Fest organizer and AP U.S. History teacher Meredith Meece said. “It is a great way for our students who come from so many different places, so many different backgrounds, and from so many experiences to show off their culture with pride and enthusiasm.” 

There were multiple food vendors this year serving foods and drinks like Korean corn dogs, Italian ice, lassi(a traditional Indian yogurt-based drink), boba, and more.

“I like volunteering at this booth [Vipul’s Kitchen] specifically, because it’s a good way for me to share my culture with everyone,” food booth organizer Reya Chandran said. “A lot of people come here and ask about the different booths. I like getting to explain it to them and see them enjoy the food and get a little taste of what we eat on a regular basis.” 

I-Fest had many hands-on experiences like the henna booth, Japanese rock paper scissors games, and interactive elements of posters that gave students exposure to elements of different cultures.

“Participating in this cultural festival is something I like as I can advocate for my culture,” henna booth organizer Arhana Karsaliya said. “I am a Hindu and Indian, henna is a big part of me as it is something I have been doing since I have grown up. What I really want people to understand is that henna is an art form to us, it’s what we use for special events, like maybe weddings or cultural events. It’s just something that is a form of expression and to show beauty in a way.”

Students wore clothing that represented their heritage and culture such as Indian saris, lehenga, central and south Asian shalwar kameez, Chinese hanfu, Japanese kimono, and other cultural clothing. 

“I think this is a great method of showcasing the different cultures in our school,” French club officer Alina Quadeer said. “I feel this is one of my favorite events of the year because of that. I feel very heard in my love not only for my personal culture but also French culture which I’ve grown very fond of being in a French club for a few years now.”

Wearing cultural clothing to I-Fest annually has been a centric element of this festival, but certain aspects regarding decoration and style have changed. 

“We are having an art gallery to show off Clement’s artists and having musicians come in to play their music,” I-Club officer Naavya Agarwal said. “Along with that, we are not having any more of those big banners. Our goal for this year is sustainability…we are going with more of a minimalistic design and we are asking all the booths to incorporate that theme of sustainability to a greater degree”.

Behind-the-scenes work involved dress rehearsals the day before and setting up booths two hours before the actual event.

“Some of the biggest challenges I faced during the restaurant side is getting some of the restaurants to respond in time for I-Fest,” Agarwal said. “This year we had two restaurants that wanted to be part of I-Fest, but we weren’t able to make them a part of I-Fest and actually get more than 4 vendors, which is what we currently have because we have restrictions from the Sugar Land health and security department because of the large scale of our event which is 2000 people.”

Groups performing at I-Fest had challenges of their own involving bringing all the group members together or planning rehearsal times. 

“For this I-Fest, we decided to do a completely new song, different from what it had been for previous years,” Japanese club officer Charlize Tran said. “So what we struggled with was members showing up to practices and learning new dances with nothing but videos to go off of and not having a stage to practice on”.

The Performing Martial Arts club created a performance involving various taekwondo and karate techniques but encountered obstacles of their own along the way.

“Since we couldn’t use our sponsor, Mr Turner’s room for a lot of things, we had to use one of the officer’s taekwondo studios,” Performing Martial Arts club officer Abby Zhao said. “It was hard for everyone to come together as it was far away and we also have a member from Elkins. We had to really quickly decide our routine as I-Fest was coming up.”

Compared to previous years, there were many more booths representing different parts of countries and distinct cultures. 

“You can see there are different booths for different parts of India,” Chandran said. “That’s the first time I’ve seen something like that at a cultural event, so I think it’s really cool that they’re taking time to showcase each different part of India.”

The various booths allowed students, parents, and teachers to gain firsthand knowledge of the distinct customs, languages, and history of different regions in countries rather than a broad overview. 

“The fact is that there are so many different geographical locations in India that bring about different cultures, I know people know there is just north and south,” food booth organizer Trisha Botcha said. “There are 29 states in India and each has different languages and customs. For example, I’m from Andhra Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu is different, and so is what we eat, our pujas, and prayers.”

Through displays, demonstrations, and presentations, students can develop cultural awareness and learn to appreciate the differences that make each culture unique.

“So what I want people to learn from showing my culture is to show how different we all are but still come together and share similar interests,” Ademilola Adedeji said. “I want them to come to appreciate and find the good things that are part of Nigerian or African culture.”

I-Fest ended with a cultural clothing fashion show where students supported each other. Meece and AP English teacher Glenys Mcmennamy, the teacher coordinators for I-Fest are enthusiastic about helping students get involved, whether it is as a volunteer, performer, or booth manager.

“If you are interested in performing for next year’s I-Fest or any I-Fest in the future, reach out to us as early as you have an idea so we can meet in communication soon,” Meece said. “We usually start the process of auditions and picking performers in the second semester.”

Students are welcome to join as a members of I-Club next year and to follow @chs_iclub on Instagram for more updates regarding the audition process. 

“Definitely perform for the love of the game, you don’t have to be good at it,” Japanese club performer, Zafir Khan said. “If you want to, if you find it fun, just go for it.”