Harmony Day was celebrated at QAHS on Monday 22 March. Harmony day is a National Day of celebration (annually celebrated on the 21 March) with the theme 'Everyone Belongs'. At QAHS diversity and a culture of belonging were celebrated through a myriad of student- driven events, culminating eight weeks of student planning. This day of celebration was special and allowed staff and students to connect and experience the richness of our community. Read more about this day, from a member of our Harmony Day Planning Team - Sky Holman.
QAHS takes pride in being a diverse school in which everyone is welcomed and appreciated for their intellectual abilities, high academic performance and talents and it is very important for the community to acknowledge our differences and embrace them as everyone belongs. On March 22, QAHS celebrated Harmony day; Harmony Week is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.
There were many activities that took place in the lead up to the day such as: weekly videos and discussion points, shared global learners classes, with the aim of educating our community on Harmony day, what it means and its values, as well as save the date promotion on assembly .
On Monday, the students and staff were welcomed to the school day after our Term 1 exam block with DJ Tristan Quinn playing a range of community beats in front of the refectory and a special 'Orange Sprinkled toast' to feed our hungry bellies, an orange themed campus decorated with beautiful drawings on the refectory walls and chalk murals throughout the school, as well as multicoloured cultural and national dresses worn by the students and staff and orange accessories.
During lunch break, QAHS was honoured to have the Multicultural Community Council, Gold Coast visit our campus and support our celebrations. Mrs Teresa Sao performed and led a Samoan dance with our community, as well as a range of performances from QAHS Dance Troupe and Bollywood dance group. It was a great opportunity for our community to interact with other cultures and nationalities and appreciate their lifestyle and culture. Furthermore, there were a range of activities that were available for students to participate in, such as the production of a world map where students were able to pin point where they are from and these points were connected together to illustrate connectedness in our community and belonging, kindness shout wall, gratitude chain and mindful colouring.
To conclude, the day was filled with smiles and cheerfulness, with students and staff dancing in the Green Heart, many happy photos and belonging at the Harmony Day stalls. The whole experience provided amazing memories, and the strength of and love within our community really shone through.
Alita Lee
Deputy Principal