Last week, Edina High School participated in Inclusion Week, which was meant to improve unity between students and faculty. Throughout the week, festive schoolwide activities, such as a scavenger hunt, trivia, and the Winter Festival, occurred. The Winter Festival took place on Dec. 9 in the Concordia flex space. Students and staff participated in club-sponsored events such as arts and crafts, karaoke, and movie watching. “The Winter Festival was a way to get more people together and give students the opportunity to join clubs,” senior and Student Council member Aaliyah Moser said.
While Inclusion Week’s main goal was to connect the students and staff, it also replaced the annual Sadie’s Dance. “For the past few years, Sadie’s participation has gone down substantially, and we thought that it would be a great time to revamp,” Moser said. While dances like Homecoming are always popular for students, they don’t always meet the needs of everyone, which motivated the Student Council to make a change. “A lot of the participation in Homecoming wasn’t inclusive to our Unified students, so we wanted a week where everyone could participate and enjoy the event,” sophomore and Student Council member Tiantian Chen said.
The Winter Festival also let clubs apply to host an activity. For Eleanor Schenk, the co-leader of Civics Club, the festival gave the club the opportunity to “use coloring sheets to teach kids about civics.” While some came to grow their club, others came to have a “festive and fun time,” sophomore James Brantman said. The festival’s mixed combination of relaxing activities, upbeat music from the silent DJ, and the karaoke room gave attendees a wide range of entertainment. Overall, Inclusion Week worked to promote connection and school spirit while unifying the EHS student body.
This piece was originally published in Zephyrus’ print edition on Dec. 18, 2025
