BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - A local high school crossed American borders during
its International Food and Music Festival, with food, music and dancing.
For the fifth year in a row, Ravenwood High School in Brentwood hosted the
festival for students and families.
It included food from restaurants like Macaroni Grill and Pei Wei along with
other ethnic foods.
Activities for kids ranged from Bollywood and Salsa Lessons, to Japanese
Calligraphy, along with the entertainment of the Simba African Drumming Group,
Nashville Chinese Cultural Club, and others.
School counselors say it is a unique chance for students to connect with
each other through their differences.
"This is a time to say, ‘Look, here I am, this is where I'm from, and
these beautiful things are what my country is about,'" said Stacie
Ballard, co-organizer of the festival. "A lot of them have these nice DVDs
they made, images of their country. Some have inventions of their country as
well as music. So it's just a really neat kind of event."
Ballard says she hopes the festival will lead to a comprehensive
multi-cultural course for students.
