The DMAE South cafeteria was decked out in many colors and foods during second period on  December 17, 2014, as teacher Brian Hall’s 12th grade Sociology students presented subcultures that they researched within society.  Mouth watering foods including pierogi, spring rolls, and Caesar salad were made to celebrate the occasion, along with students dressing up like members of different subcultures.

“We had quite a few cultures. We had PLUR (Party Life), Sports Fans, Korean, Indian, Columbian, Biker Gang, Asian Young Life, and many more. The PLUR culture ended up coming in first place.  Every student did a fantastic job, and I was very impressed,” Dr. Hall said.

Students spent several hours decorating the cafeteria with colorful representations of their chosen subcultures: costumes, tri-fold boards, banners and more were displayed proudly. There were 13 different subcultures around the room.

“Students performed dances from their culture, while everyone else watched and ate from the assortment of multicultural dishes,” said junior Janice King excitedly.  “My favorite part of Subculture Day was getting to taste a little bit of every part of the world.”

The aroma of the food attracted many to the events and some joined in the activities, such as dancing or lifting weights. Approximately 100 students and faculty stopped by the cafeteria that day to join in the fun.

Dr. Hall did not have a favorite part of the day, but commented on the event as a whole.

“I just loved seeing all the students learn about different cultures that they aren’t familiar with,” said Dr. Hall enthusiastically. “One unique thing about this assignment, is that it was fun. They are learning, as well as enjoying while creating a big presentation, and it was pretty neat,” he said.

Subculture Day has been a DMAE tradition since 2005.  Students worked on this project for a long time, and described the event as “successful yet again.”

“Subculture Day felt like a mini Diversity Day in December,” stated Dylan Masjiak.  “There is truly no right or wrong time to celebrate DMAE’s various cultures.”