Crestwood Elementary School students took a world tour around their gymnasium Thursday, April 26 during the school’s third annual Cultural Day and Evening Celebration. Students carried their passports to three of 15 different countries, including Mexico, Albania, Vietnam, South Korea, China, Somalia, Russia, el Salvador, Japan, Uzbekistan, India, Iraq, Bosnia and Peru. At each stop around the globe, students played games, sampled food, and learned about the countries where 46 of their classmates were born.
Each booth represented the native home of a student in Crestwood’s English Language Learners program, and many students dressed up in their native dress for the special day. ELL teacher Beth Bridwell organizes this annual event so that students can have fun learning about their classmates who did not grow up in the United States.
“Celebrating all the different cultures at our school is by far our top goal,” Bridwell said. “School can be really difficult for students who do not speak any English. We want other kids to embrace and accept them, and this event has helped with that. It’s neat to see how proud my kids are of their cultures.”
Crestwood is one of three elementary school ELL programs in Lindbergh Schools. The other two are housed at Sappington and Concord elementary schools.
