Paint Branch is a school that is full of diversity, with students who hail from many different backgrounds and cultures. At the end of January, Paint Branch welcomed a group of young people from Japan who came to share their culture and allowed PB students and staff to find out “what’s cool about Japan?”

During LAP, a variety of Japanese cultural aspects greeted students as they ventured through the main hallway of school. In front of the Grand Staircase, students experienced demonstrations of traditional Japanese dance and joined in and danced themselves. In the Principal’s Team Room, there were karate demonstrations, which also included teaching students karate stances and exercises. Outside of the Panther Paw, students had the opportunity to try on traditional Japanese clothing, taste some food or tea from Japan, and choose a word and see how it looked written in Japanese calligraphy.

According to Paint Branch Signature Coordinator Ms. Samantha Candia, “events like this are what truly make PBHS a special place. We are a school that celebrates diversity and fully embrace learning about cultures that are different than ours. The ‘Cool Japan’ event was packed with enthusiastic students and staff excitedly learning new things—unafraid to dance, test out a new karate move, try on a kimono—all the while laughing and having a great time while doing it. They warmly welcomed our friends from Japan to our PB home. There’s a reason ‘PBPride’ is our hashtag; our students and staff are pretty amazing!”