The school has been celebrating Harmony Day  – which is held across the globe on March 21 – throughout the month with international recipes, competitions and music.

During Monday’s school assembly, the Nairock Eisteddfod winning dance troupe reformed for a student choreographed Indigenous Australian dance.

Year ll student Sarah King said the face paint and costume helps with the performance nerves.

“It is fairly traumatising performing in front of the whole school,” Sarah said.

“But after dancing together for the eisteddfod and doing well there it was good to get the group back together.”

Jyothis Jojo and Athulya Muraleekrishnan gave James Sheahan students an Indian dance demonstration.

The duo had some company on stage from a brave bunch of volunteers who energetically accepted the challenge of learning a few new dance moves.

Teacher Maria Pastoors lead a traditional Filipino dance with students, incorporating bamboo sticks in a performance imitating birds.

Aboriginal elders Aunty Alice Williams, Aunty Daphne Monaghan and Aunty Helen Rose attended the assembly –  with Ms Williams performing a welcome to country on behalf of her community.

James Sheahan’s Aboriginal Education Coordinator Leanne Fawns said that part of aboriginal culture is to defer to an elder for guidance for such an event and she was grateful to Ms Williams for performing this role.

“Harmony Day is important to us because aboriginal people have been multicultural for thousands of years,” said Ms Fawns.

Ms Fawns said all of James Sheahan’s students do social justice work as part of the curriculum.

“It teaches them that we all have different backgrounds and that’s a good thing,” said Ms Fawns.

“The students learn that we all bring something new to our communities and it’s important to accept one another.”

Harmony Day is a celebration of our cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home.

It coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.