The theme was ‘Taste, See, Smell, Hear…The World!’ at Jefferson Elementary School’s first annual Multicultural Festival held on May 9. A total of 16 countries and cultures were represented, including China, Ecuador, England, France, India, Italy, Jewish, Kenya, Korea, Russia, Nigeria, Peru, Poland, Thailand, Turkiye, and Uzbekistan.
“After seeing and experiencing all the various cultures at the festival, our kids asked if we could showcase our culture next year," said a parent.
Each booth showcased the country and culture through poster board displays, music, interactive crafts and activities, traditional clothes, and food. Over 150 families gathered to enjoy the booths that Jefferson families worked hard to put together.
“There is so much food here that I’ve never seen before,” said one 4th grader, as he moved from booth to booth in the school’s gym.
A parent volunteer expressed appreciation to all who helped to organize "this phenomenal multicultural event."
"As one of the booth hosts, I enjoyed working with other moms on presenting our culture and seeing all the kids who showed high interest in it and had fun doing activities and munching," the volunteer added. "After the event, my kids kept talking about it and asking when the next time would be, like they always do for Christmas. I will definitely volunteer again."
One member of the Jefferson PTO Board noticed students talking about what they had learned and how much fun they had, along with booth hosts "already making plans for next year."
"The event chairs and booth hosts did an excellent job," said the PTO Board member. "It was wonderful to see so many families engaged in learning about the various cultures represented at Jefferson."
Jefferson principal Dr. Susie Hung agreed.
“The Multicultural Festival was one of the best school community events I have had the pleasure of attending. Thank you to our amazing PTO and all our families for their hard work," said Dr. Hung. "It was wonderful to see our Jefferson families come together and learn about each other's cultures. The children were excited at school talking about how their families had been preparing for this special night. We look forward to next year's event!”