On March 17th, students at Wilson's School were encouraged to wear clothes related to their cultural heritage, in an event known as Cultural Dress Day, organised by our Diversity Lead, Ms Williams.

                             Leading up to Cultural Dress day, students as well as teachers were encouraged to wear clothing or even jewelry relating to their heritage. On the day, I was pleasantly surprised to see my English teacher sporting a New Zealand Rugby top and my Physics teacher donning a South African Cricket shirt. Some people in other years had planned the event with their classmates, all arriving in the same traditional Indian Garments. Of course, there were those who opted to not wear their culture's clothing and this day was just another mufti day for them. The money being raised was  going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, which was decided with a vote between the school pupils. On the day, I chose to wear what my father had worn for his wedding with my mother, denoting my own Indian heritage. My brother chose to wear a Manchester United football T-shirt, claiming the football team was his heritage. 

                        The day was set up as a chance for students to share their different and unique cultures, with many sharing stories about what they wore and the significance of what they were wearing. My friend, Abilash, told me what he wore was the same piece of clothing his favorite actor, who grew up in the same neighborhood as him, had worn in a film. As Ms Williams explained, it was a chance for everyone to learn and appreciate the diversity that makes our school community so unique. At the end of the day we all sat down for an assembly given out by our deputy head, Mr Coop, explaining to us what was culture and who owned it, referring to the examples of the Elgin Marbles and the Koh-i-Noor Diamond. My friend, Otto Nicholls, said to me "I learned so much about other cultures and their traditional attire, which was really cool."

                 Overall the day was a great success with both teachers and students enjoying it. I hope in the future we have more opportunities like this that explore every student's individuality.