Culture Club hopes to bring students together, break down barriers

Charnell Haywood

More stories from Charnell Haywood

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ALL+LAUGHS.+Taking+a+break+from+step+practice+freshman+Rheagan+Bishop+and+junior+Keenan+Rucker+share+a+laugh.+We+are+the+Culture++Club+because+we+celebrate+all+cultures%2C+Bishop+said.++

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ALL LAUGHS. Taking a break from step practice freshman Rheagan Bishop and junior Keenan Rucker share a laugh. “We are the Culture Club because we celebrate all cultures,” Bishop said.

photo or infographic by Avari Ford
Members of the Culture Club practice their step routine after school. They will debut their moves at lunch on Friday.

Who are we?

We are the Culture Kats. We are the Culture Kats.

The chant can be heard echoing down the halls many afternoons a week. It is the chant of the newly formed Wildkat Culture Club.

The club will make its step debut this Friday at all lunches, but the group has been meeting for few months.

“We started this organization to bring different cultures and people together,” club sponsor Brittany Wheaton said. “Our main idea is that if we all know more about each other and our cultures, the division we see constantly will no longer be present.”

The club wants to make their mark on campus.

“We wanted to be a club that was totally different and unique,” freshman Rheagan Bishop said. “The school has never had a step team.”

Bishop and other members hope the club promotes a positive change.

“We are looking to create and implement positive change around minority culture, while promoting the understanding and appreciation of diversity for all,” she said.

The club is open to every student and encourages students of all cultures to join.

“It is open to everyone,” junior Keenan Rucker said. “We are more than just a club for Black History Month. It is a club for all cultures. We welcome everybody.”

If a student wants to join, they can come to meetings after school in room B403 at 2:45 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Club sponsors are Wheaton, Sonda Toliver and Justina Ferguson.

According Wheaton, the club hopes to break down barriers on campus.”I joined Culture Club because it feels like a second home,” Rucker said. “The members feel like family. If you want to join the club, talk to Mrs. Ferguson, Mrs. Toliver or Coach Wheaton.”

“The Culture Club was formed to educate our students on African American, Hispanic, Asian and all other group’s culture and history, while promoting the understanding and appreciation of diversity for all,” she said. “We are looking forward to community services and cultural events to bring awareness to the many cultures we see in our school and community.”