The month of December is marked by its holidays, festive music, and merry spirit. After the first three weeks of December drag past, MCPS provides its students with days off from December 23rd to January 4th. The county describes this pause from school as a simple ‘winter break,’ but it is clear that the break is structured to include the holidays of Christmas and New Year’s Day. MPCS even goes so far as to mark December 24th and 25th as “holidays.” These celebrations are a significant part of American culture and many MCPS students celebrate them. MCPS’s spring break is similarly framed around the traditionally celebrated American holiday of Easter. The county also clearly describes Easter as a “holiday” in their calendar.
However, other cultural festivals and events are not given the same recognition. They are simply marked as “non-instructional days” and are aligned with professional days, showing that MCPS ignores and fails to properly acknowledge the cultural events of large ethnic groups within the county.
MCPS prides itself on the various ethnic groups and cultures reflected within its school systems. On MCPS’s “About Us” page it states that the county is “serving a diverse population” and showcases this diversity with multiple graphs and statements on their website. However, the county’s limited school calendar displays a clear exclusion of numerous cultural holidays.
Observances such as Eid al-Fitr and Lunar New Year are simply marked as “non-instructional days,” despite the fact that large percentages of Montgomery County’s student population celebrate these traditions. While MCPS intentionally marked Christmas and Easter as “holidays”, festivals celebrated by students of other cultures and religions are only marked as generic closings with no acknowledgement of their meaning. This reflects a lack of recognition for certain holidays and perpetuates the idea that these cultural holidays are secondary to their American counterparts.
Holidays hold more importance than simply marking days off; they reflect visibility and representation.”[Christmas and Thanksgiving] are some of the only times I can spend time with my family as a whole,” junior Margot Ashford said. “Having time off makes me feel like my feelings are represented.” Not only do holidays provide an important sense of familial togetherness, but they also demonstrate the importance of cultural recognition.
While some students experience these benefits, people of other cultural backgrounds do not. This would include students who celebrate holidays like Diwali, which is often celebrated by students who are Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist. Although MCPS now has a day off for Diwali, the calendar never names it directly. Students often celebrate this holiday by lighting diya lamps, setting off fireworks with friends, and going to temple. However, MCPS chooses to omit references to cultural celebrations from their calendar, leading to frustrated, disappointed and unrepresented students. “They just label important celebrations as random days-off,” junior Kiran Madia said.
A diverse county needs to have a diverse calendar, and every student should feel seen and respected with their school systems. MCPS’s diverse student body indicates that cultural holidays are no longer a minority, yet this lack of designation shows minimal respect for these students. Naming is important: recognizing that certain holidays as true “holidays” while keeping others hidden behind a generic label creates a hierarchy indicating which traditions are truly valued. If MCPS is committed to supporting its diverse student population, its calendar must reflect this same sentiment.
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