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Posted on Fri, Apr 23, 2010 : 5:52 p.m.

Thurston Elementary celebrates diversity at International Night

By Lizzy Alfs

Thurston Elementary School was bustling with excited kids and proud parents toting video cameras at the school’s annual International Night on Thursday evening.

Thurston-International-Night-Parent-Volunteers

Parent volunteers Setina Briggs and Tori Melendez served bourbon chicken to represent New Orleans cuisine.

Lizzy Alfs | Contributor

The event, a celebration of diversity, included student performances showcasing a Japanese festival, a Korean flower basket dance and an Indian puppet dance.

Following the performances, students and parents could “Tour the Countries,” where different groups had decorated classrooms in which they offered various cultural cuisines. The exhibits represented this year included Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, India, Japan, Korea, Poland, Russia, the United Kingdom, Sweden and an African-American group.

Margaret Baker, coordinator of the event this year, said parent volunteers organized all the performances, beginning as early as January.

Baker estimated there were 200 people involved in coordinating the event, including the student performers.

“The parents are really the organizers. They do all the choreography, the food, the costumes,” Baker said. “Each national group coordinates itself.”

Baker said the Thurston community is proud of the event because it showcases the diversity of the school. She said Thurston has students from about 36 different countries.

Parent volunteer Praveena Ramaswami said she enjoys International Night because it is an important celebration of diversity.

“It’s a great way for kids to learn about their peers and what culture their peers come from,” Ramaswami said. “This is what our country is about. It’s great that in Ann Arbor we can have so many cultures and celebrate it.”

Check out a slideshow of photos from the event:

Lizzy Alfs is a junior at the University of Michigan majoring in English and a community contributor covering Ann Arbor's North Side for AnnArbor.com. She is also a news reporter for the Michigan Daily. Email her with events and news relating to Ann Arbor’s North Side.