Quaker Valley School District families had a very interactive opportunity to learn about a multitude of backgrounds and countries at Osborne Elementary’s annual cultural festival presented by the Osborne Home and School Association.
About 200 students and parents turned out for the event Jan. 21.
Volunteers created tables with flags, food, facts and artifacts from places such as Italy, Greece, Ukraine, Venezuela, Scotland, Ireland, South Africa, China, Haiti and the Netherlands.
Children were given passports with information about the countries present and received a stamp at each table.
They turned in their stamped passport for a goodie box filled with snacks and a globe.
Other activities include performances by bagpiper Sean Raglan and Tuika’s Polynesian Island Magic.
The dancers showcased traditional dances from Tahiti, Hawaii and Samoa. Many who joined in the fun such as the hula dance were given leis.
Families also received a QR code that linked to a Google drive with information on the countries, including recipes, videos, book lists and more so parents could continue the festival experience and conversations with their young learners.
The HSA’s festival has been presented for at least five years. This was the first installment led by parents Victoria Snyder and Jessi Latchaw.
Planning began in September. A call for volunteers went out during the winter holidays, and another push for participants was made last month to ensure its success.
Snyder said seeing all the smiling faces made it worthwhile.
“It’s a very collaborative event with family and community members coming in,” Snyder said Feb. 4. “We kind of curated the experience, but the tables were all done by family members of students in the Quaker Valley School District. It’s something that the kids look forward to and the families look forward to.
“The children really had a chance to go around the world. It really brought in countries a lot of the kids didn’t know about and they got to experience. The greatest part of organizing was to see so many families that came in — brothers, sisters, grandparents going through the process.”
Organizers already have begun talks on how to improve the festival for next school year.
