On December 14, Elm School second graders enjoyed a sampling of eight cultures’ holiday celebrations. Parent volunteers and staff members led stations that each focused on a different set of traditions, including Chinese New Year, Ramadan, Hanukkah, Christmas, and Diwali, as well as special celebrations from Italy, Mexico and Germany. Each station included a brief background on the holiday and then an activity. For Diwali, students decorated divas, a small holder in which a candle is lit to symbolize good luck. At the Ramadan station, parent volunteers wrote students’ names in Arabic and placed them in a picture frame, which students then decorated. The second graders made piñatas for Feliz Navidad and played a dreidel game in the spirit of Hanukkah. At the Germany area, front office secretary Edith Sharkey showed students how to make a gingerbread house.
Elm School Principal Jeana Considine notes, "Celebrating our diversity is what we are about. For the last eight years, our second graders have had the opportunity to learn about the special traditions that their classmates celebrate. It is a treasured memory for all of the children as well as the parents that donate their time. We are so proud of how our little school embraces that things that make us so special."
