Apollo event shares Somali culture

Apollo event shares Somali culture
By Dave Aeikens • daeikens@stcloudtimes.com • May 8, 2010

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Twitter FarkIt Type Size A A A Somali students at Apollo High School took an audience of family, friends and staff back to Somalia on Friday during a cultural celebration.



The evening including singing, dancing, lots of cheering and clapping and an awards ceremony for Apollo staff members. The three-hour event included a meal and a fashion show.
“I think it was great. It was awesome,” ninth-grader Hamse Abdule said. “It was fun to watch it.”
The evening started in the Apollo auditorium with the singing of the national anthem of Somalia. Seven students stood on the stage with their hands on their hearts. Some wore white shirts with the flag of Somalia on them. It’s a blue field with a white star.
The audience stood and recited the anthem in Somali.
A slide show showed the cities and famous leaders of Somalia.
The students, members of the Apollo Somali Student Association, have been planning the program for weeks. Many spent hours practicing routines and speeches.
“The kids, they worked hard and they worked their best. This is a great program,” said Mohamed Hassan, a staff member at Apollo who advises the Somali student group.
Robert Johnson, a St. Cloud State University professor who oversees a program for the Somali students, said many of the students have overcome challenges to be at Apollo.
“I know we have to be extremely proud of them because they have come from a community that has faced a great deal of adversity not only in their home country but in this country and in the community,” Johnson said.
Twelve staff members received awards from the students. One is Jill Schuldt-Martinez, an English Language Learner teacher at the school.
“I’m very proud of the students because they decided to put their event together,” Schuldt-Martinez said.
Student Liban Abdi, who was one of the organizers, spoke on behalf of the Somali students after the awards.
“We love our teachers. We love our community. We love our teachers so much. They make our dreams come true,” Abdi said.