This morning in Schenck Auditorium, the Upper School (US) INSPIRE club, which provides a collaborative space for D-E’s diverse community, hosted its annual Multicultural Showcase Assembly. INSPIRE was founded in 2010 by Ms. Rivera Murphy ’11, Dean of Student Life, when she was a student at D-E. This year’s assembly included moments of levity, moving spoken-word performances, melodious songs, and an impressive martial arts demonstration. Ms. Garcia, US English Teacher, kicked off the showcase with a hilarious video on how to make Swedish meatballs, inspired by her Scandinavian heritage, with cameos from her children, Max and Lulu. Asia Newman ’28 followed with a recitation of her original poem “The Culture of Youth.” Dr. Carragher P’26, US Human Development Chair & Teacher, known by his students as “Dr. C,” then took the stage to recount the story of retracing the steps of his ancestors from Ireland to Prince Edward Island. Dr. C. remarked that the journey highlighted how family is more than simply genetics. “Family is about traditions,” he said before breaking into song—an Irish lullaby he’d often sung to his young sons. Asha Harker ’27 then recited her original poem, “Puzzle Piece,” about finding your place in the world by finding yourself first. Up next was Mr. Bailey, US English Teacher, a black belt in karate, a martial art which he said originated in Okinawa, Japan, but has Korean and Chinese influences. Mr. Bailey demonstrated kata, a combat technique, with and without a staff, and with Gavin Park ’28, a series of self-defense movements that elicited gasps of amazement from the audience of Upper and Middle School students. The showcase concluded with a lovely rendition of the Chinese song “Big Fish” by Xinyuan Zhang ’26. It was an INSPIRE-ing program that celebrated the beauty in our differences.