Manhattan High’s Black Student Union, as well as German, French and Spanish clubs, joined together to host MHS’s first Cultural Appreciation event on Sunday.

Black Student Union, a club created to discuss racial issues and create a voice for students, took initiative and presented the idea to a committee comprised of members of these clubs. The president of each club agreed enthusiastically to participate and the planning began.

“BSU’s main mission is to create unity and draw people near and bring them closer to one another,” said Greg VanDyke, senior and Black Student Union President. “I thought this would be a good way for students not only to meet with one another but to be able to learn about different cultures, therefore allowing us to get closer together, get to know each other and understand each other better.”

After nearly a semester of planning, spreading the word on social media, hanging posters and thirty minutes of preparation prior to the event, clubs began welcoming students in the commons.

Each club had a table offering its own presentation, games and foods prepared by the students, showcasing the culture and the treats each of them had to offer, with French Club boasting a large paper Eiffel Tower and a crepe-making station; BSU dishing out baked macaroni, fried chicken and an assortment of other foods in front of an informational BSU poster; German Club serving German sausages and bread; and Spanish Club running a tortilla making station.

“My friends told me about [Cultural Appreciation night] and they said it’d be fun, so I came,” Tysen Plummer, junior, said. “We had a good time and ate some good food.”

After students were given the opportunity to explore the presentations and taste the foods, BSU members led guests to the open floor, where they taught an introduction to African American step dancing, a genre of dance in which there is an emphasis on using the dancer’s body to create certain rhythms, and eventually performed to a BSU chant. Junior French Club leaders Elizabeth Chapman and Duru Dogan later led a French dance, in which students were required to follow a step pattern and dance in a large circle to upbeat instrumental music.

“I think all in all [Cultural Appreciation night] was pretty good for the first year of this event,” Elizabeth Hohn, junior and German Club president, said. “I hope there will be more people next year, but I’m pretty happy.”

Participating students must have agreed, as they left with full stomachs, smiling faces and disgruntled clothes from moving to the dances.