At Owatonna High School a new club is being created to bring light to the cultural awareness and diversity of the community. The club’s name, “RAD”, stands for Recognizing American Diversity. Its goal is to bring kids together to embrace the different cultures within the community. RAD has kicked off with a small group of kids during the month of February.
The idea for the club was to rebrand a past club called Mixed Roots. Mixed Roots started years ago but slowly started to come to an end after COVID hit in 2019. It was a club where students honored different people’s backgrounds through events like a cultural fair. Owatonna has not been able to organize this event due to the discontinuity of students participating.
OHS Vice Principal Mr. Philip Wiken, who is the club adviser, shared his desire to create a group he thought students would be interested in joining and promoting the new club. Two of the students are juniors, Amal Mohamed and Miles Grimmius. They are taking on the roles of president (Mohamed) and vice president (Grimmius).
Grimmius said, “I would say that we started it because it is so important to understand the backgrounds and culture of peers, and it helps promote inclusivity and highlights the cultures and student backgrounds at OHS.” He has helped to inform peers by word of mouth about the details and goals of RAD. Mohamed is getting students engaged by starting an Instagram account called “OHS Students for RAD.”
This club is a new way to educate students and make a difference by respecting one another. RAD believes in the importance of a well-connected and empathetic community and hopes to introduce a great crowd of students to join them.
The RAD club is a welcoming environment for all ages of students wanting to get involved. Mr. Wiken said, “I think learning about other people’s cultures adds a lot of interest and it’s about, kind of, honoring that and being seen, so we are trying to create a space where students can celebrate their backgrounds and histories.” It is a great opportunity for those who are passionate about their own background, want to learn more about others or just simply want to meet new people.
Students are invited to bring their ideas, creativity and passion to all upcoming meetings and events. However, those plans are still in the works. As of right now, the existing members are planning a trivia activity and decoration of the school hallways this coming week.
The formation of RAD is one step closer to getting more students connected with each other who value human diversity and unique backgrounds. The club’s hope is to create a lasting impact by highlighting Owatonna’s appreciation for the differences in cultures that make America special.
