Global Game Night at WHS celebrates diversity & service

By AMY ADAMS
news@readthereporter.com

The Service Over Self (SOS) Club held its annual Global Game Night on Wednesday, Jan. 22 at Westfield High School (WHS). Students and families gathered in the main cafeteria to share international food and cultural activities.

Tables filled the main cafeteria representing Brazil, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, India, Italy, Pakistan, the Hmong culture, and the Muslim Student Alliance. Guests and participants could sample treats like Naab Vaam, a tapioca coconut milk drink, and participate in activities like having their hands painted with henna.

(From left) Olivia Foor-Lecea and Maggie Pasztor man a table full of international foods for people to sample, from baklava to Pocky to shrimp chips. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

Junior Khadiga Moawad said her older sister Habiba, who has now graduated, was among the SOS members who came up with the idea for the event a few years ago.

Megan Springer, a developmental reading specialist at WHS, is an SOS sponsor.

“This is a night that highlights different cultures and promotes diversity but also has a service component,” Springer said.

(From left) Cousins Samuel, Oliver, and Lilley Ku share the culture of the Hmong. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)

She said SOS was created in 2020 by merging the Key, LEO, and Interact Clubs so that students no longer have to choose between clubs for service projects.

SOS blends the best of all three clubs. For example, the Interact Club sponsored an international project each year, and the Key Club held an annual food drive. The Global Game Night brings together both of those traditions, as admission for the event was two cans of nonperishable food which will go to Open Doors of Westfield.

SOS also garners the support of the Westfield Kiwanis, Lions, and Rotary Clubs.

Vice-President Olivia Foor-Lecea said she likes that the event creates connections.

Cardiologist Amna Ahmed, whose daughter Noor is a sophomore, shows her steady hands while creating an intricate henna design. (Reporter photo by Amy Adams)