Marion Street Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) hosted their third annual “Taste of Marion” cultural event on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 6-8 p.m. Parents and students came together in the school gymnasium and presented dishes from their respective cultures to share with the Lynbrook community. Members of the LHS Student Diversity Council (SDC) contributed to the events of the evening by volunteering their time to help with setup and the progression of the festivities.
SDC volunteers assisted parents with organizing tables and aluminum trays for the arrival of warm food. Garlands of various country flags were placed along the walls of the gymnasium in addition to a large map against the wall at the entrance for which students were asked to place a pin drop sticker where their families are from. Other decorations included balloon arches, composed of the colors green and blue, to represent the earth. Furthermore, volunteers organized and supervised a crafts table throughout the event. Children had the option to paint a rock with acrylic markers or color their own henna (cultural temporary tattoo) designs on the hand printouts provided.
Different from last year, the PTA devised new activities to keep children occupied during the course of the evening. BINGO worksheets were printed out for the students to complete based on the various dishes present. Additionally, a sensory room was provided for children who did not favor the volume of music, or people, in the gym. First grade parent Elizabeth Fee explained, “One of our members that’s part of the DEI committee is in charge also with SEPTA and wanted to ensure that children with special needs or anybody who has sensory issues was taken care of and looked out for.” Students could shake the sensory water bottles provided, use play dough, partake in coloring activities, and play on the giant bean bag chairs. “It was nice to have a spot where you could decompress for a minute. While the sensory room still did get a little bit crazy with kids playing and screaming, it was still less than what was happening in the gym,” she added.
Marion St principal Theresa Macchia thought the sensory room was a great addition to the event this year: “Obviously the goal is to embrace that we are all different learners and we all feel differently. We knew this was a very excitable event and it could be overwhelming and so we wanted to provide for everybody. When we think about inclusion of all, we have to be considerate of adults and children who have that sensory overload and we don’t want to deter people from being here.”
The event first came about when a subcommittee of the Marion St PTA supporting DEI efforts emerged and parents sought out an effective way to showcase the diverse range of cultures within the school. Flavors from various countries were present: Sri Lanka, Haiti, Italy, Africa, India, and Ireland, to name a few. When asked about what she would like to see next year, Macchia responded, “Some people come in traditional attire [representing their culture] and we want to be able to highlight that. We thought of a fashion show walk where they could share where they’re from and talk about their culture.” Macchia hopes this idea will come to fruition next year.
The cultural celebration was successful thanks to the major dedication of the Marion Street PTA and the assistance from SDC volunteers. “This year it grew a lot more and there were definitely a lot more people here. It was great because we were able to meet even more people and learn about even more cultures,” SDC member and sophomore Lyla Gaffoor expressed.
