One of my favorite all-school events is "Celebrate Colombia". The Spanish teachers in each grade level create a presentation that tells a part of Colombia history, celebrates an aspect of Colombian culture and allows the students to grow in their personal cultural identity. Then parents are invited and the school comes together to watch each other's performances! It is so fun to see students to have patriotic pride in their beautiful country.
7th and 8th graders paid tribute to the farmers in this bountiful country and shared about the different political influences that have inhibited their growth (such as the conquistadors, the FARC, communists, etc.). They did then a traditional dance of the farmers.
PKers learned the traditional Cumbia dance. This is from the coastal region and very common in Colombia Some of my students memorized a small speech to share the history of the dance, then the whole class danced together. The students loved their outfits and the chance to dress up. I was so impressed and proud that they all memorized their steps and were not too nervous to perform in front of their parents and other students.
Kinder and first grade also did dances. It was so fun to see my previous classes not only grow in their dance skills, but work together as a team to dance and perform. As part of the celebration the MC called on parents and teachers to join the students for encore performances- which was great fun to have all the audience involved!
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| Kinder in their costumes during the dance |
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| Various PK, Kinder and 1st grade students giving a small introduction speech |