Godwin Heights — Most people know that France’s capital is Paris and that the country’s most famous painting is the Mona Lisa, but sixth-grader Paris Walker suspects that many have not heard of a Beech Marten.
“It is small and it looks a lot like a cat,” Paris said of the creature, which also has a weasel-like body and a bushy tail. “They are fairly common in France.”
Paris is one of about a dozen TEAM 21 participants who were part of the Lights On Cultural Fair. TEAM 21 is the after-school program at Godwin Heights Middle School.
Lights On Afterschool is a national event where after-school programs across the nation host open houses for families to explore their opportunities, said TEAM 21 Project Director Eric Mockerman. Several Godfrey-Lee and Godwin Heights schools, where TEAM 21 operates, hosted various events that included food trucks and other activities.
Discovering and Celebrating Traditions
Serena Haas, the TEAM 21 site coordinator for Godwin Heights Middle School and a 2020 Godwin Heights graduate, said she wanted to do something for students that was fun but educational. She remembered the Cultural Day activity that the middle school hosted when she attended.
“I thought this would be a great way for the students to learn something about their home country or another country along with being able to share with others,” Haas said.
Students filled out a poster-size informational sheet with such facts as the country’s flag, population, traditions or holiday, landmarks, authentic food and animals. They also painted a picture of a person important to that country, and had a short informational piece on the person or their specific country on their computers.
Eighth-grader Kim Khanh Lam’s painting featured Ho Chi Minh, the first leader of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
“One thing I learned is how significant the water buffalo is to the country,” said Kim, whose native country is Vietnam. “It is related to the farmers in helping them to farm and transport goods so that they could work all the time, year-round.”
Rice and Candies With a ‘Kick’
Sixth-grader Madiana Navarro-Upton chose Cuba because it was the closest country to Mexico, which had already been taken.
“It’s my culture and I like to celebrate my culture,” Madiana said. As to what she learned about Cuba: “They celebrate a lot of different things, such as they eat 12 grapes at midnight of the New Year as a sign of good luck.”
Just southeast of Cuba is the Dominican Republic, which sixth-grader Jacob Rasario selected since it is his native country.
Part of the assignment included bringing a traditional dish. Jacob observed that the common food for many cultures was rice, which he too was serving. Other food items were Egyptian donuts, crab Rangoons, and candies such as mango suckers and Alpenliebe candies that are mango on the outside and spicy on the inside.
“They are common in Vietnam,” Kim said of the candies. TEAM 21’s Mockerman, after trying one, said the candies do have a little bit of a kick.
Read more from Godwin Heights:
• These middle-schoolers strive to be strong readers
• Family members and heroes honored through art project
