On Friday, November 7, 2025, during lower, middle, and upper school lunches, the Westridge Parent Association (WPA) hosted their annual Yam Festival on Madeline Court. Just outside the Commons, parents filled tables with a plethora of yam dishes and dashing shades of yellow and orange to welcome the flood of students and teachers.

This year, Yam Fest was hosted two weeks before Thanksgiving break, although it is usually held on the Friday directly before break. Many students were left confused regarding the timing, but hosting Yam Fest earlier meant easier preparation for other fall events including Open House and Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

Upper School Art and Permaculture Teacher Mr. David Prince and STEAMwork Design Studio Coordinator Mr. Mick Lorusso co-run the Permaculture Garden together. They both appreciated the timing of Yam Fest since it was the perfect time to harvest yams. Members of the Permaculture Garden proudly presented their yams this year, their second Yam Fest, becoming yet another important contributor to the shared tradition. “It was stressful, but I find it really rewarding…I was proud,” Mr. Lorusso said.

Yam Fest was co-founded by Clara Hill-Williams and the Families of Black Students at Westridge committee (FOBSAW) during the 1997-1998 school year. The FOBSAW committee’s purpose is to promote cultural awareness of African-American history and unite people from diverse backgrounds and cuisines under one common vegetable: yams. As the following years unfolded, Yam Fest became a shared tradition among Westridge’s students, staff, and faculty.

Many Westridge community members often regard Yam Fest as their favorite tradition, creating excitement for new students like Nikki W. ’29 and Marni M. ’29. They were on their toes for their first Yam Fest and not only did they enjoy the variety of dishes, but they also enjoyed the lighthearted environment surrounding the celebration. “The highlight would be the food. I was always looking forward to it this week,” said Nikki. “I like the food in general and the decorations. It just feels like it’s alive. I love this tradition,” Marni added.

New middle school students, Elsa R. ’31 and Miyako V. ’31, welcomed the food, noting its uniqueness. Although they enjoyed the ube ice cream, they did not enjoy the long line. Many adults and students felt the same.

One upper school student, Jieni L. ’28, took note of the long line. Jieni said that her past Yam Fest experiences had featured long lines, but not to this year’s degree. Junior Jasmine L. also questioned the line organization. In the past, there have been two lines to get food, whereas this year, there was one main line, making it more difficult for students to fill up their plates.

Makayla W. ’26 remembered that some yam dishes ran out during previous years. This year, she was able to get to the food before it ran out, and she felt grateful for that. Because of this, her Yam Fest experience this year was more enjoyable.

Fiala P. ’27 said that there was a different selection of yam dishes this year. She observed that there was “less diversity among sweet dishes and more diversity among savory dishes.” Molly G. ’27 noted that there was less variety of yams within the dishes in general, with most dishes containing orange yams. “I wish that there were more ube dishes instead,” she said.

Nurse Lorena Beltran and Health Office Assistant Vanessa Muñoz both commented that the Yam Fest was clean and organized. They also said that this year’s experience was less stressful since the yam dishes were peanut-free. Last year, a large number of students came to the nurse’s office because their peanut allergies were triggered. Nurse Lorena Beltran added that the “dishes are getting better,” with Westridge now enforcing the rule that dishes must be peanut-free. Her highlight of Yam Fest was the opportunity to go since she wasn’t able to leave the nurse’s office unattended last year.

Advancement Coordinator Ms. Kellie Forester, helps out parents during the preparation and during Yam Fest, and she noted how organized it felt due to the coordination and planning among the parents. This year, parents made new Yam Fest T-shirts, created a Gratitude Tree, and brought more savory foods to the table. “There’s a variety of different things that they do throughout the year. And each year, they might try and add their own unique things,” said Ms. Forester.

Yam Fest Chair and Westridge parent, Betsy Tipton, was deeply involved with the preparation of Yam Fest along with President Elect of the WPA, Patty Wu, and Juebong Khwarg. A common concern for the parent planners was whether there would be enough food for everyone. They additionally wanted to introduce more savory dishes to Yam Fest since sweet dishes have historically been more prominent. The parents purchased japchae noodles in order to solve both problems, which turned out successful. “We are constantly taking feedback…We’re always trying to look for better ways of making sure there’s enough food for everybody,” said Patty Wu.

Betsy Tipton reflected on how special Yam Fest could be, not only for the students, but also for the parents. “It’s a time I think a parent can come on campus to see how Westridge looks like during the day…It’s really awesome to see what it’s like for their kid to be here, and how special it is,” she said.

From the preparation to the actual day, the entire process is highly dependent on the Westridge parents. They are responsible for buying the supplies, donating dishes, volunteering, and distributing the yams out to students. “We had 105 parent volunteers and about 154 dishes that were donated,” Patty Wu said.

Going forward, they hope to highlight the FOBSAW more during lower and middle school lunch, have more student involvement, such as letting students design the Yam Fest T-shirt, and find a way to improve the line situation. 

Director of Admissions Dr. Margaret Shoemaker, who has attended 20 Yam Festivals, noticed the growing variety of savory yam dishes offered during the Yam Fest, like the japchae noodles.

Yam Fest, being its 28th year, has left a significant impact on the Westridge community. What had started as an event to educate others about African-American history sprouted into a deep-rooted tradition. Yam Fest has grown and planted its own roots within the community. The tradition of Yam Fest will continue, prosper, and continue sharing its history for many generations to come.