To celebrate the diversity of students at Mount Si High School, Japanese teacher Sudeshna Sen and Mount Si’s International Club hosted the first Mount Si International Night, Wednesday, Nov. 18.

During a night of dancing, singing, documentary and performance, students and parents alike filled the school auditorium, sharing talents and achievements that many never knew they had.

Kicking-off the night with a Hawaiian dance, Ana Moetului’s performance was accented by Evergreen High School Polynesian Club’s Haka Dance.

With bare chested students stomping the stage, the crowd cheered, hooted and hollered for their energy-filled performance.

A comedic video by Mount Si’s Advanced Placement Japanese language class was featured. Students asked teachers questions in Japanese, and teachers had to decipher and reply back what they believed was being asked.

“International Night is coming out of the idea that we have a lot of diversity in our school,” said Sen. “It’s now caught a life of its own, where people are coming up with their talents.”

Senior twin sisters Natalie and Joy Opsvig highlighted their heritage and an artistic experience of 10 years with an Irish dance.

Their older sister had watched the Irish dance team, Riverdance, on television. Their mother enrolled her in classes, getting the rest of the siblings to join to. They’ve been hooked ever since.

“Irish dancing isn’t recognized as much as other types of dances.” Joy Opsvig said. “I always have so much fun performing it for my school.”

Joy was very impressed with the night’s performances, showcasing her school’s different nationalities in an interesting, upbeat event. She wishes she was attending Mount Si next year so she could perform again.

As the night continued, students shared performances from other countries, such as Mexico, Korea, Philippines, Germany, Samoa, Britain and the United States.

Sen said she learned a lot about students who could dance, sing and perform. Her hope — for teens to perform with no tears or panic — was fulfilled during the night of cultural sharing.