'It’s A Small World' for Lynbrook Kindergartners

In a tradition spanning nearly a decade, students at the celebrated all the cultures that make up the rich heritage of their community at their school’s annual Multicultural Festival.

To prepare for the festival, children brought in artifacts from their countries of origin and discussed the significance of each item with their teachers and classmates.

Students and their families then gathered at the end of the week for a culminating festival that began with a colorful Parade of Flags. Dressed in costumes depicting their family’s heritage, the children sang “It’s a Small World” and performed the merengue, a traditional dance of the Dominican Republic. They welcomed students, who entertained them with more dances from Latin America, and enjoyed a performance by Irish bagpipe player John Kelhetter.

Since no multicultural festival would be complete without food, parents served up a selection of international dishes from around the world. As a special remembrance of the day, each student received a “passport” that they filled with stickers of international flags.

“This festival began several years ago as a little celebration in my room with my 15 ESL students,” said Madeline Torres, who teaches English as a Second Language at the “Then we decided to open it up to the whole school so that all the children could share and enjoy each other’s cultures. It’s been growing ever since.”

The festival was organized by Mrs. Torres and fellow teachers Bonnie Shapiro, Ellen Shapiro and Michele Alberry.ESL teacher Cristina Javett arranged for the high school students to perform at the festival.