White Station High School (WSHS) is known for their high academics and athletics, but they are also known for being a highly diverse school. Many clubs like to show off the diversity of the student body, including WSHS’s new club, the Africa and World Cultures club. This club was founded by Emilia Mussa (9), who wasn’t available for an interview, with sponsorship from Geometry teacher Frank Nartey.
“I come from Africa, West Africa to be specific, and my country is Ghana.” Nartey said.
Nartey is one of many African teachers at WSHS, and he’s proud to be one. Being African gives him a different outlook on life.
“My ethnicity has trained me to be who I am today. It has trained me to be someone who is responsible, someone who is respectful, and someone who is able to build relationships with people.” Nartey said. “That is why I don’t find myself lost in a society and in a community like White Station.”
Being apart of a culture club and being apart of a diverse campus introduces you to many new perspectives. Nartey says that experience is one of the best parts about being at White Station.
“When I came to White Station, I was welcomed with an open arm and the students are also very friendly.” Nartey said. “Appreciating different cultures and race [is one of] the hallmarks of White Station High.”
In the club, students learn about the commonalities of each other’s culture and daily life. This is another opportunity for students to learn from their peers and see outside their comfort zone.
“The world is dynamic, the same as culture. So you don’t say, ‘I’m okay with my culture.’ You have to learn from other people’s culture. So we talk about so many things.” Nartey said. “We talk about what is unique about Nigeria, what is unique about Ghana, what is unique about it, so that we all get to learn and understand the perspective of other cultures.”
Although the club name has Africa first, the club itself isn’t confined to just African culture. It promotes learning about cultures from all over the world.
“We didn’t want to restrict ourselves to only Africa,” Nartey said. “One thing that I find interesting to bring into our meeting is to have books that talks about other cultures. As we read, we get better and clearer understanding on how other people move and behave.”
Having an understanding about different cultures is incredibly important in today’s globalized world. As unique people appear in our lives, we have to learn to be empathetic towards their values.
“Africa isn’t just one country. It is made up of different, different countries. Africa is made up of 54 countries.” Nartey said. “African culture has got to do with so many customary things. We do many of the things the traditional way. It strikes a difference between [America] and the African world.”
Although there are differences, WSHS has been a very accepting school for Nartey. Many students and teachers appreciate the variety of people in this school as well.
“So it is all about learning. And that is why I’m so happy and proud of being the sponsor of this club, I’m getting to know about other cultures and enriching my mind and enriching myself.” Nartey said. “There are a lot of Mexicans in this school, there are Africans in this school, [there are] Asians in this school…It is not an institution where people are being prevented from coming to class because of their race or because of their background, and everyone is well represented and well distributed.”
