Building Bonds, Celebrating Heritage

Back-to-school season brought many of Marlborough’s identity-based affinity groups together for their annual welcome events—moments when students, families, faculty, and staff gather to celebrate shared identity, forge new connections, and set the foundation for the year ahead. In a year focused on the core value of Champion Inclusion, these gatherings took on added significance, demonstrating how inclusive community is built through intentional celebration of the identities that make up our School. Each event offered its own flavor of community building, from soul food spreads to traditional games to dancing that brought generations together.

AACE Family Picnic: Black Country Club
The African American Cultural Exchange hosted their family picnic on September 27 with a theme that celebrated Black excellence in every space: Black Country Club. As AACE leader Maniya A.B. ’26 explained, the theme represented “the importance of Black excellence in any and all spaces. I have seen how talented and passionate our Black community at Marlborough is.” 

Fixins Soul Kitchen catered a soul food feast featuring salad, collard greens, catfish, chicken wings, cornbread, mac and cheese, potato salad, and peach cobbler. Between bites, families bonded over games like Connect 4, Jenga, cards, and dominoes, with classic line dancing songs keeping the energy high throughout the afternoon. 

Maniya reflected on what makes the event special: “The AACE Family Picnic never fails to reaffirm my gratitude for the Black community that is on campus. I am so excited for all of our future events and activities for AACE, but also the entire school community.” 

Lael S.J. ’27, also part of AACE’s leadership, shared a favorite moment: “I love AACE because it helps me forge new connections and friendships with students I would not have had an opportunity to meet otherwise, and I felt as though the AACE Family Picnic was a perfect example of that! It was so inspiring to see all of the families talking, laughing, and truly making AACE a place for community.”

Kehilah Bagel Brunch
Kehilah, Marlborough’s Jewish student affinity group, hosted their annual Bagel Brunch on September 14, creating space for students, families, and staculty (staff and faculty) to connect over bagels and conversation.Over platters of bagels from Bagel Broker, there were some passionate debates over the perfect bagel order. Students compared their choices with one another, defending their chosen combinations with deep held conviction—and a bit of laughter. 

Beyond the friendly bagel debates, the event fulfilled its deeper purpose: building bridges across grade levels and creating connections that extended beyond the students themselves. Middle schoolers mingled with upperclassmen, finding common ground and forming friendships that might not have happened in the regular school day. Meanwhile, parents had their own opportunity to connect, building a support network that strengthens the entire Kehilah community.

One of Kehilah’s leaders Maya F. ’29 explained the event’s purpose: “We aimed to create a welcoming and friendly space where students from different grades, as well as parents, would feel comfortable and excited about the upcoming school year. We loved seeing everyone meeting and bonding, and we were so excited to meet new people. The Bagel Brunch is a very valuable Kehilah tradition as it expands our outreach and gives everyone a chance to be active members of the community.”

OLE Family Fiesta
Organized Latinx Exchange brought the community together on September 27 for their Family Fiesta, complete with traditional activities, music, and food. The morning featured chilaquiles prepared by Chef Ricardo, fresh conchas, and fruit, alongside games of Lotería and piñata hitting. The celebration included dancing to Caballo Dorado and enjoying artwork by Daisy Velasco in the gallery.

Lucia S.G. ’27, one of OLE’s leaders, emphasized the event’s role in building community: “We got to see the community come together in incredible ways over conchas, fruit, and chilaquiles. We danced, and listened to incredible music, and are so excited for a year full of OLE events and memories!” She added that a key goal was to “integrate new Latina students and introduce them to the OLE community.”

Rita W. ’27 appreciated the inclusive approach: “We hope to educate families about how powerful and connected the Latino community at Marlborough really is.” She noted that speeches during the event were delivered in both English and Spanish “to cater to everyone in the audience who wants to learn more about Marlborough.”

PATH Golden Potluck
On September 19, PATH (Promoting AANHPI Togetherness and Heritage) hosted their annual Golden Potluck, inviting families to bring dishes representing their own cultures. This year’s event expanded to include traditional games and activities such as henna, jianzi, ggongi, and ddakji.

The variety of activities allowed families to engage with different aspects of AANHPI culture throughout the evening. While some gathered around the henna station, others learned the traditional games—passing skills and stories between generations. The potluck format meant every table told a story, with dishes representing the diverse cultures within the AANHPI community, from Filipino to Vietnamese to Korean to Indian cuisines and beyond.

PATH leader Colette W. ’27 described the evening: “It started with a welcome speech from the PATH leaders, followed by a night of delicious food and socializing. As always, The Golden Potluck was an amazing event that bonded our Marlborough AANHPI community and laid the foundation for all the other fun activities coming up this year.”

The Power of Welcome
What emerged across all four events was a consistent theme: these gatherings embody what it means to Champion Inclusion. They do more than mark the beginning of a school year; they create space for students to see themselves reflected in their community, for families to build relationships that extend beyond close-knit friend groups, and for new members to find belonging. Through shared meals, traditional games, music, and laughter, Marlborough’s affinity groups remind us that community isn’t just something that exists—it is something we create together.