April 22, 2024 – Mineral Springs Elementary School and Speas Global Elementary School both celebrated customs from around the world last week with their annual multicultural nights.
Multicultural nights in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools are always electric atmospheres to behold. Parking lots are packed with food trucks serving a rainbow of delicious international dishes, visitors don costumes inspired by cultural icons from various countries, and dozens of performers take the stage in school gyms and auditoriums to show off songs and dances that are popular around the world. It’s one thing to experience all of these traditions by reading about them in textbooks, but multicultural nights are an exciting way to bring them to life.
“Learning about other cultures from people in your school and in your community brings everybody closer together,” said Kenyanah Allen, a fifth grade teacher at Mineral Springs Elementary.
That isn’t to say that classroom lessons don’t play an important role in multicultural nights. Last week’s events were largely student-driven, including booths where students gave complex demonstrations of language, arts, cuisine, history, and more that they had learned about specific countries. Crafting a unique experience for visitors allowed students to deepen their connections with places and people that they were learning about in class, and having that extra knowledge makes them excited to learn more.
“I like learning about languages – I already speak Spanish, some Japanese, and English,” said Speas Fifth Grader Gabriella Seipel, who presented a booth about French Polynesia. “It’s a lot of fun, and that knowledge is always good to have.”
One of the cultures that benefits the most from multicultural nights is the school culture. These events are a chance for students to share what they’re learning with their parents and families, as well as spend some extra time with their friends and teachers in a fun, informal environment. Even alumni are known to make time for multicultural nights because they’re simply a great time for the whole community.
“We’ve got a lot of middle schoolers who come back for this every year,” said EC Teacher Benjamin Jones. “It’s always good to see everybody again.”