An international delight in Rockville Centre

With greetings in many different languages, Watson Elementary School’s staff and students held ¡Hola! Bonjour! Ciao! an International Parade at an assembly on Oct. 20 to kick off a year-long exploration of cultures from around the world.

The children were excited as Lady Liberty entered the auditorium to introduce the multicultural theme, and enthralled as Principal Joan Waldman followed, reading “Whoever You Are,” the school’s October Book-of-the-Month. Text and illustrations from the book were projected on a large screen so that everyone could enjoy the message of the book together. Many classroom teachers donned authentic costumes and carried flags representing 16 different nations as they paraded across the stage and greeted the students in their native languages. The children ended the assembly by singing “It’s a Small World.”

This year-long investigation of other cultures will serve to familiarize the students the diverse and varied people of the world. By getting to know other cultures better, students will accept and understand their customs more readily.

Educators at Watson believe that acceptance and understanding leads to tolerance and empathy, the goal of the endeavor.

They also say they are grateful to the Rockville Centre Education Foundation for generously funding a grant for this program and for its continued support.