Dove Elementary School

On Friday, March 3, Dove Elementary School hosted its 10th Annual Friendship Day. The cultural event was organized by Joyce Mery, Multicultural Language and Art Expressions teacher.

Members of the DES Culture Club worked together with parent volunteers and a select number of students to create stations for 14 countries, including The Netherlands, Brazil, Tonga, Thailand and Ghana. Students visiting the countries received a passport with a list of the countries they were learning about and instructions on how to say hello and thank you in each language represented. The students also sampled traditional foods and enjoyed various experiences from the different booths.

Mery encourages her students to explore other cultures and learn about traditions that their school friends embrace at home.

"Friendship Day is a big event for our school,” said Mery. “It's a way to build cultural bridges in our community. I believe that being a good citizen begins here, in the heart of our school and our community."

Miller, a parent who presented at the Philippines booth added, "I don't know if you knew this, but five years ago, when we were looking for a house, we were researching schools and came across pictures of the Friendship Day event at Dove, so we said, this is what we want for our kids! And we decided to move here so they could attend Dove."