Students and staff at Jefferson Elementary School celebrated the different cultures that the school encompasses during Multicultural Day. Diversity at Jefferson includes languages like Hausa, from Nigeria, to indigenous languages from Guatemala, such as K'iche and Mam.
Activities began with the morning announcements, during which members of the community said "hello" in the languages of their culture. Students and staff wore traditional clothing from their respective cultures or displayed the colors that represent the country of their ancestors. The lessons made an impact:
- "I did not know some of my friends spoke different languages," said fourth-grader Mauricio Oviedo.
- "Cultural identity has an important effect on learning and should be taken into consideration while teaching and learning. It was beautiful to see how Jefferson's community is so diverse," said Lucia Brea, English as a New Language teacher.
- "I felt nice; I felt like everybody got to know my culture and everyone liked my dress," said third-grader Khadija Ahmed.
- "I loved wearing the dress from my culture and being able to see so many different people and their cultural clothing," said student Michelle Bermeo.