Palo Alto High School hosted a cultural assembly and an international food event during lunch yesterday afternoon. Multiple students performed during the mandatory assembly including poets, singers and dancers.

During her performance, sophomore Ivanka Kumar put on a display of Ukrainian singing and dancing. Kumar said that celebrating her Ukrainian heritage in front of the vast audience of students, staff and faculty was a way of “reclaiming and sharing” her heritage.

“Music has always been a vessel for promoting natural identity,” Kumar said. “It is undeniable that it still remains a part of their [Ukrainian] history and identity. Taras Shevchenko, founder of Ukrainian classical literature and poetry wrote, ‘Learn from others, but do not forget your own.’ In my experience, this means embracing the global influences that shape me while holding onto the deep cultural roots that give me a sense of identity.”

Following the hour-long assembly, dozens of tables lined the quad and boasted generous displays of food from all seven continents — even Antarctica. Junior and event attendee William Xue said that he’d never seen multiple cultures represented as vividly as they were during yesterday’s assembly and potluck-style lunch.

“Every single performance had its own vibe,” Xue said. “Each show was different in its own way. I saw a lot of new foods for the first time, too. I knew Palo Alto is culturally diverse, but this is the first time I saw it altogether.”

Here is the event captured by our photographer.