by EVAN YAO and ABBI DAVIES
With the holiday season in full swing, the Chadwick Parent Assn. Parent Affinity Group invited the K-12 community to last Saturday’s Winter Holiday Party, celebrating the Chadwick Christmas spirit and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
The family-style party was hosted on the Vanderlip Lawn with a communal potluck.
Each family showcased its cultural holiday special dishes, from the Piamonte family’s Tita Celias lumpia to the Hattori family’s Hawaiian fried rice, and spam and chicken musubi.
Other highlights included a collection of Filipino pork adobo, Jewish cookies, Guatemalan bread, sesame cake, Korean kimbap, various dim sum dishes, West African jollof rice and so much more!
The party was a festive success, and the Main Lawn was decorated with homemade paper snowflakes, glittery winter centerpieces, and many blue and white balloons.
Families were delighted with the heartwarming coffee and hot chocolate.
The CPA collaborated with Chadwick DEI Director, Dr. John Aden, who initiated the inaugural holiday party last year.
“The purpose of our DEI holiday party is two-fold: First, to celebrate the diversity of our community as a family-friendly affair, and second, to simply enjoy the festive holiday season with great food and endless laughter.”
In the past, different student affinity groups held their own separate holiday affinity parties.
“All 15 separate groups having their own parties sounded crazy to me, so I thought of this idea to mirror the Chadwick Multicultural Food Festival and create a potluck to bring people together,” Aden said.
The afternoon was filled with fun contests and activities such as the Ugly Sweater Contest, where people wore their most fantastical holiday sweater for a prize, to the Great Dolphin Cookie Bake-Off, where families delighted judges with their favorite cookie recipes.
There were many homemade cookies, including Jewish treats, lemon Christmas trees, plus pumpkin and Snickerdoodle cookies.
Sophomore Abby Coe-Sullivan’s homemade Jewish cookies which were inspired by her grandma, won the Top Dolphin baking prize.
“I especially loved the Festive Bounce Houses, both last and this
year,” Aden said.
“It’s so entertaining to see the little kids having a blast and jumping around inside the bounce house, while the older kids had to stay jealous and watch from the outside.”
Several Chadwick moms competed in the festive sweater competition, and they all showed out with amazing outfits.
Families also took loads of pictures at the party, sporting their favorite holiday look and capturing holiday memories.
Games such as bingo, Jumbo Jenga, checkers, cornhole and the festive bounce house were set up all across the lawn.
This year’s new additions included singing performances, a face painter and karaoke.
Kids were delighted with their cute holiday face paintings.
“My main for this year’s party was for families to let loose, have a little fun and feast on some delectable holiday cooking, and it turned out just like that,” Aden said.
In regards to DEI, Aden believes that affinity groups are for everyone, especially for Chadwick’s parents.
“I think the most important aspect of diversity is when we limited visibility to identity,” he said. “We often forget that the CPA has its own affinities, and the Winter Holiday Party is our opportunity to bring parents and students together.”
Added senior Jessica Piamonte, a member of the Student Diversity Council: “The party was truly phenomenal! Everyone was stuffed after eating all the dishes, and it’s a bummer that this year was the last for us seniors.” Beyond the holiday party, Aden’s proactive efforts with DEI are reflected in the Student Diversity Council’s packed schedule.
Kicking off with Piamonte’s Deaf and Hard of Hearing Awareness Month presentation in September, to the recent Pollyanna Conference at Harvard-Westlake School, Aden has continuously pushed the council’s agenda to offer more DEI opportunities and experiences for students.
“My proudest moment at Chadwick in terms of DEI is undoubtedly our Social Justice Day last year,” he said.
“This year, SDC has made remarkable strides with their initiatives at the Pollyanna Conference, where students fearlessly told ways Chadwick can change for the better.”
Senior Lizbeth Lopez, SDC’s co-leader, attended the conference in Studio City.
“Dr. Aden played a big role in making our Latino Heritage Month Assembly possible for Latinos Unidos,” Lopez said.
“Our trip was also an unforgettable experience that wouldn’t have happened without him. His addition to SDC definitely made the council, and DEI as a whole, much more prominent and organized. I’m excited for the rest to come.”
Next up on SDC’s agenda is the “Bridging Beyond Grades” project, where the Upper School connects with younger Dolphins.
“The SDC is focusing on a project we call the ‘Big Sibs,’ and they’ve reached out to the Belonging Project, hoping to collaborate with both the Middle and Village schools,” Aden said with anticipation.
“The program is aimed toward providing mentorship with reading and writing, but also having the Village students looking up to the diversity we have in the Upper School.”
The Mainsheet 