Arlington High School student, Josline Contajioso (‘24) is bringing the community together to learn and celebrate differences with Arlington High School’s first Cultural Night to be held on March 14, 2024 from 5-7.  

The community of Arlington, Washington is not well known for being diverse and Contajioso, along with Arlington High School’s Diversity Club want to see that change.  That is what inspired her to lead this event. “I realized that there needed to be the acknowledgement and celebration of the diversity and the cultures that we have in our community. Especially with our town and school being predominantly white, I wanted those who are a person of color to see that they are appreciated and seen and important.”

The importance of having an event like Cultural Night is significant because the student body of Arlington Public Schools is changing. Educating others on different and unique cultures that some may not know even existed. Diversity Club adviser, Mr. Ysaias Guerrero said, “I think it is important for our school to learn and to accept the different types of celebrations exhibited by various cultures and how their lifestyles are diverse but still share some of the same characteristics.” 

Cultural Night is set to feature food and performances from many different cultures while providing an opportunity for everyone to meet new people and to interact with one another.  The event can help people expand their cultural horizons and knowledge.  Noah Climacosa (‘26), a member of the Diversity Club said, “These events are very important for our school and students because it shows different backgrounds of cultures that have been used for many generations for peoples’ countries and we want to spread it around. And with this event we could represent cultures that have never been seen before.” 

The main goal is for everyone to feel included. Contajioso said,  “we want students and staff trying to help uplift and shed light on celebrating and making the people of color in our community feel welcomed.”

Contajioso and the Diversity Club hope to make Cultural Night a yearly event.  Climacosa said, “I hope for a positive response from our community… I truly hope the audience appreciates this type of effort and make it more known for the next cultural night.” 

 “I am most excited that we get to showcase various groups and to educate others about our diverse cultures within our community,” Guerrero commented.  Come and have fun at the Cultural Night Event on March 14, 5-7pm at Arlington High School