March 10th marked the start of the holy month of Ramadan for Muslims around the world. During this month, Muslims don’t consume food or drink until sundown, along with not cursing or listening to music, instead they use their time to read the Quran and donate time to those in need. There are many Muslims here at Curtis that take part in Ramadan, engaging in this month-long fast and time of holiness.

Plenty of these students can be seen practicing the components of the holiday throughout Curtis, spending their lunch period in the library as opposed to the cafeteria, with some students even engaging in their daily prayers there, too.

This year, Curtis offered temporary elevator passes to all the students participating in Ramadan. Plenty of the students found it very helpful and considerate that Curtis provided this, with one Muslim student, Fatima Hamoud, having said that, “The best part about fasting at Curtis was having the opportunity to ride the elevator .On the other side, all the classwork as well as the homework made it difficult since I would always have to stay up extra late doing it.” The elevator pass was a much appreciated advantage to those fasting this year. During Ramadan, Muslims spend more time praying and they also tend to have a do more meal prep, as breaking the fast at sundown every night is often a celebration. Because of these obligations ,finding time for schoolwork can be difficult.

Fasting at Curtis is always a pleasant experience and having more and more students as well as staff being aware of the holiday helps Muslim students feel appreciated and understood.