When making my way through the congested halls of North Penn, I tend to hear tidbits of conversations in passing. Two girls in baggy jeans and sweatshirts ask each other when the next Key Club meeting is. A boy in glasses tells his teacher he’ll see him on the Special Olympics trip. A group of kids make their way to the auditorium for play rehearsal. It comes as no surprise to anyone that North Penn has after school activities, as most high schools do. However, what makes our school unique are the clubs like the Indian Cultural Association and the Jewish club, and the many other clubs representing culture and religion. 

Montgomery County is a distinctly diverse region which is why it is important for our student body to have the space they need to connect with people of their own heritage with similar traditions and lifestyles. This gives other students a chance to learn about their peers, and the near and far places their family originates from. In a school of over 3,000 kids it is easy to feel overlooked or out of place. North Penn is able to provide young people with close knit communities where they can feel seen and perhaps find their voice.

After the dismissal bell rings, most kids are jetting to the parking lot but some choose to stay in the building for this time to connect. I was able to talk to two students, Tahmin Helal and Ved Vyas, before the start of the Bengali Cultural Club meeting. 

Helal and Vyas agree this club is a great way to embrace their culture, and that it looks great to be a part of it on college applications. 

 “They do a lot of fun events,” Vyas states. “They give us traditional Bengali food like halal.. My favorite part is the food.” 

  Helal adds that her favorite part is the Bengali show that their club advisors put together.      

 “People can come in and see our culture for themselves, and meet people.” 

Another huge proponent for this integral part of North Penn is Alana Nguyen, the secretary of the Vietnamese Club, who says she is proud to represent Vietnamese culture.  Just last spring Nguyen and the rest of her club helped create North Penn’s inaugural Multicultural Celebration, where the plethora of organizations could display what they had learned and been working on all year to the entire school. 

 “When we learn about different cultures we see through the eyes of other people and I think that VCC really emphasizes that,” Nguyen explained.  

 I believe a huge reason North Penn has consistently been ranked one of the best high schools in our area is because our teachers and administrators aptly encourage us to become leaders, which not only prepares us for the future, but contributes to a more positive atmosphere. Students are given the opportunity to join clubs, and also start their own, which is what one junior decided to do this year. 

 11th grader Madeline Adarayan is the Founder and President of the new Filipino Club. She described the surprise she felt when her club not only started, but became extremely popular. 

“Meeting all these people I didn’t even know were Filipino and making them my officers was really cool. I connected with them because we had a similar background and customs, and was able to relate to that.. It was very insightful” she said eagerly. 

 Adarayan also looks forward to the Multicultural Celebration where her club will be performing a traditional dance called ‘tinikling.’ Although she believes North Penn is doing a good job with this Celebration, they could always be doing more. 

 “I think they could make a bigger deal recognizing the cultural holidays of the months at school, not just the big ones like Christmas,” she stated. 

 I do believe North Penn could make more of an effort, by not only encouraging others to embrace their own culture, but actually embracing it themselves. However, I would say from what I’ve learned about these cultural clubs I think this is something that really makes our school special and most importantly, makes a difference.