District celebrates Asian American Pacific Islander month with weekend event

Osseo Area Schools’ Family and Community Engagement group (FACE) hosted an Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month event on May 2 with the help of student leaders from across the district, who supported both the planning and hosting of the event. Over 400 families from across the district came together to celebrate and be in community with one another. 

Highlights included:

• An author visit by Hmong author Kalia Yang. FACE and the Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander staff affinity group purchased books to donate to families so they could receive signed copies from the author.
• Qeej Hmong instrument group
• A showcase event highlighting students from across the district, with performances that included Hmong, Thai, K-pop, Japanese and Vietnamese dragon dances
• Face painting

“This was the district’s first Asian Heritage Month Celebration, and it was a huge success,” said FACE coordinator Vanessa Gill. “The event also featured community resources and businesses from the AAPI community, along with cultural artifacts and historical displays.”