Kenrose Elementary was buzzing with excitement May 12 as students from all grades celebrated International Day.
“This is our 15th annual International Day, and we love celebrating all our countries,” said Kenrose ESL Teacher Anne Marie Peterson. “We have over 23 countries represented at Kenrose so we have traditional dances; we show videos; and then we have a hands-on learning part.”
The day began with a series of cultural dance performances for parents and students.
“It’s really special to me because in my class I am the only one who came to this country from South Korea,” said KES third grade student Stella Kwon. “It was cool to show my culture on the stage.”
Following the shows, students visited booths in the gym where they could learn about countries from around the world. Among the countries represented were Argentina, Armenia, Brazil, Canada, China, Egypt, Eritrea, Germany, India, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Luxembourg, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russia, South Korea, Switzerland, Thailand, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States.
“It’s so cool to watch all the students interact with each other and celebrate the cultures that make everyone so different,” said ESL Teacher Susan Howell. “To see them all come together as one school is really amazing.”
No matter where students were from, they all seemed to relish the opportunity to demonstrate a piece of their culture for the rest of the school.
“We performed a Hindi dance representing India,” said third grade student Karunya Tej Vudattula, “It makes me feel good, and my parents were happy.”
Students had a tough time containing their excitement as they went from country to country in the gym, and the teachers couldn’t help but smile as well.
“This is my favorite day of the year,” Howell said. “Both of my kids go here, and their favorite day out of the whole year is International Day.”