FORT RILEY, Kan. -- Fort Riley Middle School students experienced cultures from around the world April 4 during the first World Cultures Fair in the school gym.
Food, clothing, flags, photographs and musical performances kept students engaged in learning about other countries for several hours.
Given the opportunity to choose any country they wanted to learn about, seventh- and eighth-graders picked what they were interested in and dove into the research process, according to Spanish and foreign language teacher, Weston Moody.
Moody said he tried a similar project at another school, and it worked so well for the kids, he wanted FRMS to have the same opportunity.
Teachers spent several weeks coaching the students on their projects in preparation for the big day; most students worked in teams of two and prepared a station with a tripod and other materials to draw in visitors.
Seventh-grader Destiny Johnson said she chose to study India because her grandmother inspired her with stories and photographs from a trip to the country in 2000. Johnson said her grandmother came home and taught her how to belly dance, and she's wanted to follow in her footsteps ever since. Natalie Van Aken and Alyssa Hernandez prepared a presentation on Greece that included music and food from the country.
"I'm really into Greek gods and goddesses, and I love the (Greek) architecture and design. My mom told me that the language is really beautiful," said Van Aken, a seventh-grader.
Sarah Sanchez, seventh grade, said she wanted to study Mexico because of her Family's heritage. Her homemade flower paper rings floated by on many hands during the fair, and her guacamole and salsa drew in quite a crowd.
A ukulele song, "We Are Samoa," filled the air during one of several musical intermissions, sung by eighth-grader Lou Faletagoai. After receiving applause and high-fives from her peers, Faletagoai said her favorite part of Samoan culture is the music and dancing traditions. She learned the song about the beauty of Samoa from her father.
Students also had the opportunity to complete a scavenger hunt for a chance to win cultural artifacts donated by Moody.
Parents and the Latin American Studies program at the University of Kansas loaned many works of art and historical artifacts for the fair.
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