One World, One Night: Schools to Host Multicultural Fairs

Hundreds of Lemon Grove School District students will “travel” the world on Thursday during multiple multicultural fairs.

, and are hosting open house events that will showcase student learning, as well as diversity.

“It’s a different type of open house,” said Rick Oser, principal of Golden Avenue Elementary School. “It’s more of a celebration of diversity and a celebration of ourselves and a celebration of the students learning.”

This is the sixth year that Oser’s school is organizing a multicultural fair. He said about 40 percent of families attend traditional open houses, but 700 or more people attend the multicultural fair. Golden Avenue Elementary School has about 500 students, he added.

“It’s a lot of fun because it’s not just people going to one classroom,” he said. “It’s people going to every classroom.”

Students study different countries and cultures, and create presentations and arts and crafts about what they learned.

There will be about 20 countries presented at the fair, and students will get their passports stamped at each destination. Some classrooms will offer food samples. The English Learner Advisory Committee will have a tostada bar, Oser added.

“It’s a very nice celebration of the school year,” Oser said.

Vista La Mesa Academy students will also get their passports stamped at a variety of countries Thursday evening.

The multicultural fair is a major event for the school, Principal MaryDell Worthington said, as it has hosted the occasion for more than 20 years.

“It’s really a gift for us and the community,” Worthington said. “It unites our community, because we are a very diverse area.

“We know that we have a responsibility to help families see what cultures we have and help children understand that there are many people in the world that make up our world.”

Each grade level studied one or more countries. Middle-school students studied the history of the United States, for example. Fourth-grade students researched their own heritage for their “It’s a Small World California” project. Classes worked together to create a patchwork quilt that represents the variety of cultures.

“We wanted to make it more personal to the kids, so they had an opportunity to learn about their own heritage,” said Mary Granquist, a fourth-grade teacher at Vista La Mesa Academy.

Kindergarteners studied European cultures. Each student painted a kindergarten-sized European child on butcher paper. The roughly 75 life-size students will be displayed at the fair.

“With our rigorous academic schedule, it has been so nice to have an activity where they can just paint,” said Kathy McInerney, a kindergarten teacher at Vista La Mesa Academy. “They’re doing art and getting to learn about different cultures. It’s just been a great experience for everyone.”

McInerney added that a number of parents have visited the school to help the children work on the project.

“I’m so excited about how many parents came in and helped us,” she said. “It’s a community-building activity, besides an educational activity.”

Monterey Heights Elementary School has also hosted a multicultural fair for several years.

In addition to visiting classrooms and seeing what students have learned, fair attendees will get to sample food “from around the world,” said Yolanda Cole, principal of Monterey Heights Elementary School.

“We have a variety of cultures represented at Monterey Heights, so we invite families to bring in a dish that represents their culture,” she said.

Families will also be entertained by cultural dancing that will include stepping and ballet folklorico.

“It’s important that we make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. It’s important for us to learn and be able to appreciate other cultures and the impact that we have on one another,” Cole said. “California is a melting pot, and our school represents a variety of cultures. Everyone should feel that they’re just as important.”

Golden Avenue Elementary School and Vista La Mesa Academy’s multicultural fairs will take place from 5-7 p.m. , and Monterey Heights Elementary School’s fair will take place from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity for the community to come together and fellowship with one another and just get to know each other,” Cole said.