By Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
Koontz Elementary students, celebrating their own diverse backgrounds, held the school’s first “Winter International Festival” Friday featuring songs and dances of other countries.
The entire school day emphasized unity through diversity, a concept that has become part of the legacy of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Koontz serves as a good example of how that’s working in Rowan-Salisbury Schools.
Students at Koontz either were born in or their families come from at least 10 different countries, including Mexico, Laos, Bosnia, Guatemala, El Salvador, Liberia, Vietnam, Honduras, India and the United States.
Koontz Principal Dr. Bob Heffern said his school has students “from many different parts of the world, and we’re happy about that.”
According to Rowan-Salisbury Schools, Koontz’s diverse population includes 314 African-American, 129 white, 78 Hispanic, 21 Asian and 32 multi-racial students.
A Columbian native, Angela Ramirez teaches English for speakers of other languages at Koontz, and she joined teacher’s assistant Susana DeMello, a native of India, in organizing the multi-cultural activities Friday.
DeMello said the day was important because it may have given children whose families come from different countries a better sense of belonging, besides the realization that the United States has always been a melting pot of people of different colors and backgrounds.
“The response has been great,” Demello said, hoping the festival can be expanded next year.
Second-graders made crafts Friday from five different continents. They included items from Australia, Africa, Japan, Russia and America.
Third-, fourth- and fifth-graders fashioned posters focusing on other countries. The posters were displayed in the halls Friday. Kindergarten students and first-graders also have been hearing stories and learning, among other things, about foods from selected countries.
The international festival at the end of the school day brought together the whole school in the multi-purpose room and featured students ó in full native dress ó performing Mexican songs and dances, a dance from India and a song from Vietnam.
Performers included Krishna and Simran Patel, Tran Mai Ten Nhu, Andrea and Estefany Jimenez, Osbaldo Gonzalez, Michelle Flores, Uriel Pacheco and Victor Nunez. The festival also featured Southeast Middle School student Miquel Jimenez who sang two songs from Mexico.
Students, faculty and administrators ended the assembly by singing “Colors of the Wind” from the movie “Pocahontas.”
DeMello said the song is not only about how people are connected with each other but with nature, too.
Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263, or mwineka@salisburypost.com.