Moorhead High School Celebrates Students With International Day

More than 75 students at the school are from different countries

MOORHEAD, Minn. — Moorhead High School took its students on a trip around the world with its International Day.

English language learners and foreign exchange students put on the event for the entire school.

More than than 75 students filled the Moorhead High School gymnasium this afternoon, each one of them with their own story about why they immigrated to the U.S.

For Fatuma Abdallah, it was so she and her seven siblings could have a better education than their parents.

“They left their country when they were in kindergarten and they didn’t have enough education so they wanted more opportunities for their kids,” said Abdallah, who immigrated to the U.S. from Uganda in September 2013.

Others came because their parents wanted to make a difference.

“My dad is a pastor at a church so he came to start a mission for Spanish speakers since they didn’t have a church to go to because it was always in English,” said Sofia Perez, who immigrated to the U.S. from Guatemala when she was 16 years old.

They may each have different backgrounds, but Moorhead High School students are all celebrating their roots on International Day, stemming from more than ten countries including Kurdistan, Iraq, Somalia, Vietnam, Kenya, Guatemala.

The day is meant to celebrate each students’ culture through dance, music and food.

It’s also the chance for English language learners to feel like they still have a voice in a new country.

“It’s hard for them to come out of their comfort zone. For them to be able to do this and represent their country, I think it’s important to them. They’re showing their values, where they came from,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed was an ELL student at Moorhead High School before eventually becoming an ESL paraprofessional there.

He says it’s why he can relate to the students and why he hopes this experience will help them realize their full potential.

“What they’re going through right now, it’s hard. It’s hard learning the English language, so for me to help them out in any way, it makes me feel good because these students want to succeed as much as anyone else does,” Ahmed said.

But students say it’s also about teaching others an important life lesson.

“Talk first. Have a conversation before anything. Like they say, don’t judge a book by its cover,” Abdallah said.

“You need to be open–minded and explore the world. There’s not just one culture. There are many and that’s what makes the world so cool,” Perez said.

Moorhead High students say they hope having International Day will inspire the F–M community to hold more events that celebrate diversity and inclusion.