On Thursday, October 17, Viewpoint held its annual Fall Multicultural Day, hosted by the Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Community Life, along with our Parent Partnership for Diversity and Inclusion (PPDI). Families celebrated our many cultures through the enjoyment of food and live music, while learning about Affinity Groups and World Language offerings. 

“Our Viewpoint community gathered with heartwarming enthusiasm for this year’s Fall Multicultural Day,” said Patricia Jackson, Chief Belonging and Community Officer. “Our collective commitment to celebrating diversity, fostering connection, and supporting one another was on full display!”

Viewpoint families arrived with a wide variety of home-cooked meals, from savory dishes to sweet treats, offering all who attended enticing options. As a community where families value unity in diversity, this annual and beloved event provides a beautiful setting for our families and employees to connect in joy.

In addition to the potluck, the event featured cultural displays offered by our World Languages Department, giving attendees a chance to explore the various languages spoken and studied at Viewpoint. Voices Now, our Upper School singing ensemble, entertained guests with a new arrangement of the Brazilian classic Água De Beber. Hearing our students sing in Portuguese was a special treat.    

We are grateful for the many folks who helped to make Viewpoint’s Fall Multicultural Day a wonderful success, especially PPDI! We look forward to next year’s celebration and the continued growth of this cherished tradition.

On Wednesday, October 16, Viewpoint’s students and faculty came together once again to celebrate Unity Day, a key event in National Bullying Prevention Month. Since 2015, Unity Day has been a powerful reminder of our school's commitment to fostering a supportive, inclusive environment. This annual tradition highlights the importance of kindness, acceptance, and standing against bullying.

Students and faculty across campus showed their solidarity by wearing orange, a color that symbolizes unity and the shared goal of fostering a welcoming community. Upper School volunteers partnered with Primary and Lower School students to write 'I will...' statements on paper footprints, outlining their contributions to creating a more inclusive environment.

“Unity Day exemplifies Viewpoint’s goal of ‘unity in diversity.’ Students across campus discuss and implement ideas to promote kindness, inclusion, and acceptance,” said Salah Farrag, Fourth Grade Teacher and Lower School Coordinator for Diversity and Inclusion. “In the Primary and Lower Schools, each student places an orange footprint with their concept for fostering such a community, representing the steps we can take to ensure that everyone here has a sense of belonging.”

Founded by PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, Unity Day encourages people to wear orange and take a stand against bullying. Those interested in learning more about the program can find additional resources here.

From AP student presentations and food tastings, to dance performances and display tables, Viewpoint School held school-wide Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations this week.

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon Festival, is the second most important festival in Chinese tradition, following the Spring Festival, and can be compared to Thanksgiving in some ways. The Moon Festival occurs on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, which falls on different dates in the Gregorian calendar. This year, the Moon Festival was celebrated on September 17.

On September 16, the Chinese III and AP Chinese classes combined to celebrate the festival. Each AP Chinese student gave an oral presentation on the Moon Festival, accompanied by vivid and creative visual aids. Then, each student appreciated and recited a famous ancient Chinese poem “Jingyesi” by Li Bai. The two classes together made ice cream mooncakes and tasted traditional Chinese snacks such as fresh dates, sunflower seeds, and rice crackers etc. Finally, the class concluded by evaluating the students' cultural knowledge about the festival through a fun Kahoot game.

Our Middle School marked the occasion with special lunchtime activities, including a performance by the local Chinese group PPMA featuring traditional music and dance. Chinese class students led riddle-solving games, a festival tradition, and parent volunteers served mooncakes. 

In the Primary and Lower School divisions, parent volunteers hosted display tables with giveaways during lunchtime and provided video presentations and crossword puzzles for use in the classroom. Display tables educated and inspired the students over a two-day period:

• Monday, September 16: Chuseok display table

  • Chuseok is a three-day harvest festival celebrated as a significant holiday in Korean culture. Chuseok (pronounced chu-sock) translates to “Autumn Eve, " also known as Korean Thanksgiving. Chuseok is a time to return home to family, celebrate and show gratitude for the harvest, and honor ancestors. An essential aspect of the holiday is cleaning ancestors' tombs and paying respects by offering them the Chuseok feast. 

• Tuesday, September 17: Mid-Autumn Festival Display Table

  • Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Moon(cake) Festival, marks the full moon at its brightest and most total size, coinciding with harvest time.