Andrew Robinson Elementary School recently hosted a Multicultural Festival, providing students from each grade level the opportunity to study a continent and then represent it to their peers.
Students wore cultural clothing and performed dances from various cultures from the continent they selected. For the event, the following continents were studied: PreK and Kindergarten (North and Central America), first grade (Europe), second grade (Asia), third grade (Australia), fourth grade (South America), and fifth grade (Africa).
The festival, organized by a school committee, was an activity to help teach students to have open minds and hearts to people from different cultures.
“The Multicultural Festival is an opportunity to open our students’ eyes to the wonders of other cultures, and empower their minds to accept and embrace people who are different culturally,” said teacher William Jackson.
In addition to their class activities, students performed African dances, ballet and several cultural dances. Their dance instructor, Monique Cistrunk from the Cathedral Arts Project, who conducts dance classes at the school, trained students in the intricacies and grace of African and ballet dances.
Second-grade teacher Mrs. Ann Giesen also served as a dance teacher and choreographer. Her students performed dances that included colorful costumes, and demonstrated their musical talents. The outfits that the students wore, as Mrs. Giesen explained, “were East Indian from India, not American Indian.”
Also joining the students was African American storyteller Baba Ajamu Mutima, who performed musical, lyrical and spoken word presentations in storytelling and cultural dialogue. Mr. Mutima demonstrated many African musical instruments and provided relevant instruction on how instruments have histories extending to musical instruments from African cultures.
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