Lamps decorate households. Spicy snacks and sweets fill kitchen counters. Traditional designs made of colored rice powder are laid on the ground. These are but a few ways the Hindu population celebrates the festival of lights: Diwali.

Students of Oak Park High School came dressed in traditional Indian attire on Friday, Oct. 25 in celebration of this annual holiday. While the event itself was on Sunday, Oct. 27, students celebrated with their peers at school a few days earlier.

During the 2017-18 school year, three then-freshmen and current juniors, Prinaka Drona, Prerana Rao and Preksha Rao spoke with Superintendent Dr. Tony Knight about getting a day off to celebrate the holiday as Hindu-students make up around 15 percent of the school’s population. The school, in response, implemented two half-days for this holiday beginning the 2018-19 school year.

“We have a Calendar Committee that is made up of teachers, support staff, administrators and parents. They worked this out. We found that we were able to add the minimum day and remain within the required number of instructional minutes required by the state,” Knight wrote to the Talon for a previous article. “State law requires 180 days of school, which is what we have, so we are not allowed to reduce the number of days.”

The topic of religious representation with school scheduling remains an on-going discussion among students.

“I will say that I think it’s a good thing that the school is formally recognizing Diwali by giving a minimum day. I think all religions should be given equal treatment, and the onus is on the school to do that,” senior Sean Cunin said.

Preksha Rao’s original intention in discussing Diwali with Knight was more than to simply get a day off.

“It’s been incredible seeing how many more people know about Diwali. It was our original intention not just to get a day off, but to also raise awareness that Diwali and other Indian traditions exist,” Preksha Rao said. “Plus since we started getting a half-day off and wearing Indian clothes, more people have been asking questions about our culture.”

Preksha Rao also believes getting the day off has helped initiate conversation about different cultures.

“For Indian students, it has provided us with an opportunity to celebrate this huge festival without worrying about school. It has also incited a conversation about the similarities and differences between cultures which has been fun to listen to and participate in,” Preksha Rao said.

Some students initially felt a little uncomfortable coming to school in Indian clothing.

“To be honest, I felt a little awkward coming to school in Indian clothes because everyone had their eyes on me and it was a bit awkward. After seeing others in Indian clothes, I was a lot more comfortable roaming around school [in] my salwar [the name of one piece of traditional Indian clothing],” senior Sai Bhargavi LakshmiNarasimhan said.

The spirit of Diwali also spread to students who do not practice Hinduism, some of whom came to school wearing traditional Indian attire.

“Some friends wanted me to come to school in a kurta, so I borrowed one and didn’t really have an issue wearing it. It’s actually a lot more comfortable and looks so much better than what I normally wear. I kind of wish I could wear a kurta every day,” Cunin said.

This experience proved empowering for those involved in getting the district to make a schedule change for this holiday.

“We learned that it’s important to take a stand for what you believe in,” Drona said in a previous article for the Talon. “It’s crucial, and sometimes it works out the way you want it to.”