Hampton Park Secondary College celebrated their diverse cultures at a “Multicultural Assembly“ on Thursday 25 May.
“HPSC students and staff put together a fantastic show that everyone was a part of,“ HPSC House Administration Assistant Ashley Hickey said.
“You could hear the roars coming from the assembly and laughter that was charismatic to be around.”
The students were able to showcase the assembly and capture their proudest performance as an evening spectacular to their family and friends.
“Our students were extremely proud to showcase their culture to our community and worked tirelessly in creating their performances while learning about their peers and other cultures,“ HSPC Counsellor Harlin Gandhok said.
The students danced and sang away in front of a large audience of approximately 380 patrons.
“Our students really impressed me with their dedication to presenting their cultures in such a positive light,“ HPSC English Teacher Geoff Shinkfield said.
“They certainly engaged everyone who witnessed their graceful performances, both in the Multicultural Assembly and in the evening Showcase.
“They represented HPSC and their cultures with immense pride and we too should be proud of them.”
The evening event opened with a Traditional Aboriginal Smoking Ceremony, performed by Steve Ulula Parker, an Elder of the Boonwurrung, Yorta Yorta and Erub people and is from Millowl land, known as Phillip Island.
He performed with two Hampton Park students, who proudly held their flag, whilst the ceremony was being held.
“This was Hampton Parks Secondary Colleges first year of highlighting the day with an evening showcase, this will become a continued tradition for generations to come,“ Cultural Diversity Coordinator Sally Curruthers said.
“The songs and dances that were performed by our passionate and talented students enabled familiarity with many different cultures and what makes each of these cultures unique and special.
“Staff are tremendously proud of the students’ efforts with each act, they amazed the audience and worked tirelessly to master their performances, showing strength and connectedness by cheering each other on as they performed, a true sense of multiculturalism in such a culturally diverse school.“
The School’s College Captain Sanchika Jeyanthan, House Leader Sina Javadi and SRC Leader Shegofah Hussaini presented themselves beautifully as they were the Master of Ceremonies for both events.
Narre Warren South MP Gary Maas was in attendance alongside Director of Retail Leasing at Hampton Park Shopping Centre Luke DeLutiis.
Ms Curruthers said Hampton Park Secondary College is a diverse and multicultural community.
“Over the past 35 years our cultural make-up has changed significantly,“ she said.
“At Hampton Park Secondary College we pride ourselves on respecting each other and sharing the richness of each culture.“
The college currently has approximately 1200 students, with 67 per cent of students speaking a language other than English.
The HPSC student population represents over 50 countries across all continents of the world, speaking 55 different languages.
“HPSC is a wonderfully diverse learning community, I am so proud of our students for celebrating their multiculturalism,“ HSPC Counsellor Jacquie Binns said.
“They’ve embodied our college values of respect and working together.”
Wayne Haworth, Principal at Hampton Park Secondary College encourages students to acknowledge and celebrate their cultural background and students can promote their heritage by performing at the multicultural assembly.
