Central Elementary hosts International Festival

Although travel is restricted due to COVID-19, that did not stop students at Central Elementary in Gulfport from getting a chance to travel to different countries today.

Mexico, China, and Canada are just a few places students at Central Elementary traveled to today. The school wanted to celebrate the melting pot of people within the area.

ESL Coordinator Chrystal Wade tells News 25 the goal is for students to honor each culture and its diversity. “This is an opportunity that allows our children to get some hands-on education, feel honored and respected for those cultures that are represented and broaden the horizon for students who may not have had experience with diverse culture.”

The hallways were decorated with things that represent each country. Mrs. Gong, the event organizer, incorporated passports to give students the feel of actually traveling. “We give students passports to go to different countries to see different stations with different costumes such as here in China. We have Kung Fu, we have face paintings and we have Chinese New Year station.”

At each station, students get to learn about the culture the food and the fashion. “When they go to France, they get to see Paris, the Eiffel Tower, their traditional food, and they get to see Canada and they get to see Hispanic countries and they got to taste their different cultures, get to see their dance and language.”

The Gulfport School District is looking to rotate the International Festival to a different school each year.