Students At Eisenhower International School Participate In Cultural Fair

Students at Eisenhower International School (EIS) are touring the world, without jet lag.

The language immersion school hosted its yearly International Cultural Fair on Wednesday. Typically, the school has a school uniform policy, but on Cultural Fair day the students and teachers get to dress in clothing representing their favorite country.

Third grader Eva Fielvs chose France. "This hat actually is from France," she said. The world tour begins with a stop at U.S. Customs, then it is off to their first destination.

Principal Connie Horner said everyone at Eisenhower International School looks forward to this each year.

"It is really exciting to see all the world countries coming together, I wish it was that easy for adults," she said.

19 different countries are represented including Afghanistan, Guatemala, Ukraine, Taiwan, Russia, Japan, China, France, India, Nigeria, El Salvador, Kenya, Turkey, Mexico, Germany, Israel, Spain, Poland, and Uganda. The booths are run by parents, teachers, or community partners. Each one is asked to speak in their Native language and bring examples of the country's traditional dress and cultural artifacts.

Third grader, Amelia Pierce said, "We got a dreidel from Israel, they gave us a little paper and showed us how to play it. That was really fun."

The students carry with them a "passport" that they can get stamped by each country at the end of their visit.

Third grader Ariana Martin said that is her favorite part. "I have only gone to California and Spain, so I enjoy seeing lots of places at school," she said.

The fair is also a learning opportunity for the students. Eisenhower International School teaches them to become fluent in English and either Spanish or French.

"You cannot have language without culture," Horner continued saying, "In order to build culture in our building we want to invite people that come from a different culture, so we can better understand world issues."

The hope is that this exposure will help the students find common ground in what makes them different.