Staff and students of Utahloy International School Guangzhou wearing rainbow colors. (Photo source: John Zeng)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On June 16th, the Utahloy International School Guangzhou (UISG) community celebrated our identity and showed “who we are” by inviting our members to participate in the rainbow color day.
Students and staff were encouraged to dress up in rainbow colors. However, the day didn’t only refer to the colorful outfit but also showed the core belief and ultimate goal of our school, to allow the community members to be more internationally-minded and culturally inclusive by making themselves shine and be themselves.
Clothing, especially its color, shows the style of the person and reveals how they think of themselves. People opt for garments that can reflect their self-image and the style is an outward expression of their personal identity. Students and staffs of the school have their personal choice on the color that they would like to use for revealing their inherent value, which together forms a colorful and diverse UISG community.
At UISG, everyone was encouraged to dress in rainbow colors to show that Pride month was for everyone to show pride in who they are. This allowed a lot of our students and staff to reflect on their personal and cultural identity and truly connect with the word “pride.” The rainbow color day on the 16th of June ended in an outstanding success, with more than 30-40 teachers and students either dressing in rainbow-colored clothing or wearing a rainbow face mask. This event is another example of how our diverse community, with students and teachers from all around the world, can connect with each other despite speaking different mother tongues.
This celebration was a great opportunity for the whole UISG community to become more aware of their own identity and understand the question of “who we are” to its core.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ayako Catherine Nozue and Hoi Ching (Cathy) Ng are year 11 students at UISG. Both students are active members of the school, leading and initiating many community service activities and awareness campaigns. They also actively write for the school newspaper The Howl.
