In 1977, U.S. Representatives Frank Horton of New York and Norman Mineta of California proposed the establishment of Asian Pacific Heritage Week. Fifteen years later, President George H. W. Bush signed Asian Pacific American Heritage Month into law. This tradition, initially proposed to commemorate Asian and Pacific American accomplishments, continues to take place every May and is highly anticipated in the Lakeside community. Why? The annual AAPI assembly, of course!
On May 9th, two of Lakeside’s affinity groups — the Lakeside South Asian Affinity Group (SAAG) and Lakeside Asian Pacific-Islander Students (LAPS) — will be organizing an assembly to showcase combinations of their cultures and talents. Not only is this an opportunity to learn about different traditions and aspects of students’ cultures, but you’ll also have the chance to cheer on the amazing performances of some of your friends and classmates!
Starting with a bang, the assembly will open with a K-pop dance performance led by Oliver C. ’25 and Cailyn C. ’26. The song backing their upbeat and exciting dance moves will be “On and On” by K-pop group AMPERS&ONE, which has been active as a group since November 15, 2023 and also features a former Lakeside student, Kyrell!
The next act will be a series of cooking shows highlighting recipes and food traditions from students, led by Lexi L. ’25, William F. ’24, and Lily Z. ’25. Some potential recipes to look out for include mango sago, spring rolls, and boba!
Next, buckle up for music performances from Zara Z. ’24 and William F. ’24. Zara will be playing a solo piano arrangement of “Unravel” from Tokyo Ghoul, and then she will join William for a piano-violin duet of “Fishing Boat at Night.” Later, you’ll get the pleasure of hearing the “fortissimo five” — the unstoppable freshmen quintet formed by Caileen W. ’27, Maia F. ’27, Joshua H. ’27, Sarah N. ’27, and Shiwen H. ’27.
Next, SAAG will be presenting a Bhangra dance performance! Bhangra, originating from the Punjab area of India, is a traditional folk dance rooted in cultural and communal celebrations. This energetic and upbeat dance would often be performed by Punjab farmers to welcome the new harvest season, but on this very special occasion, the performers will be our very own Lakeside students.
The penultimate act of the afternoon will be the fashion show, where SAAG members, led by Safiyah K. ’24 and Arya N. ’25, will showcase traditional Indian clothing while strutting down the comp gym. Get your phones ready to capture your friends’ most stylish looks or their catwalk highlights!
Lastly, Sephina P. ’24, Sophie S. ’24, Jer-Shyan C. ’25, and Sarah L. ’25 will be wrapping up the assembly with a dance performance of the song “Shh” by K-pop group Kiss of Life. Their choreography will undoubtedly leave you speechless — or, shall I say, “shh” you.
So on Wednesday, May 9th, head to the comp gym with all your friends for Lakeside’s AAPI assembly! We promise you don’t want to miss it.
