During May, we’re interviewing high school students from across Spokane Public Schools in recognition of Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month. These students are members of multicultural clubs where they can connect with peers while sharing and celebrating their heritage with our community year-round.
Even if an official club meeting of the Shadle Park High School Islander Club isn’t scheduled, about a dozen or so members still gather in Stacie Wachholz’s English Language Arts (ELA) classroom after school.
“This is kind of their home base,” club advisor Mrs. Wachholz said, noting that some students will leave sweatshirts and coats in her classroom to pick up later. They stop by for lunch and then meet there at the end of the school day, going out to play volleyball while waiting for their bus. “They tend to just kind of live here.”
It’s a comfortable space for students like Dorothy Bujen (third from left in photo), a junior who joined the club last year when she started at Shadle Park. She was born in Majuro, the capital of the Marshall Islands, and lived in Seattle since she was about six years old before moving to Spokane.
“It’s a nice community, so I wanted to be a part of that,” she said, explaining why she joined the club. “It makes me want to come to school.”
In a corner of Mrs. Wachholz classroom is a display of photos and décor celebrating the club. A banner adorns the wall featuring Shadle Park’s iconic Highlander and the school’s signature yellow and green in a swirling geometric motif that’s associated with the Pacific Islands.
The students have T-shirts and skirts made with the pattern as well. Mrs. Wachholz helped make the matching outfits for students to wear when performing a Biit, a traditional dance from the Marshall Islands.
Most current club members are from the Marshall Islands, but all Shadle Park students are welcome to join; this year, students from Kenya and Afghanistan have also participated in club activities.
Hospitality, in fact, is one of the aspects of her heritage that Dorothy is especially proud to share with other Highlanders.
“It’s nice for others to know about us and understand how we do things,” Dorothy said, reflecting on the significance of AANHPI Heritage Month. She hopes that she and other members of the club will continue to put themselves out in the school community, sharing their traditions and celebrating their heritage.
