GARAPAN Elementary School’s nearly 800 students and their families yesterday marked Cultural Day on campus with the theme “Take Pride in our differences and celebrate our similarities.”
GES principal Yvonne Reyes said it has always been their goal to promote unity, respect and camaraderie among the students.
GES has 791 students — Chamorros, Carolinians, Chinese, Koreans, Filipinos, Chuukese, Japanese, Palauans and other Micronesians.
“We came from diverse backgrounds,” she said. “There are so many cultures and ethnicities around us that we need to be sensitive to each other and understand where we’re coming from as people…. Let’s celebrate our differences and similarities,” Reyes said.
Yesterday’s event was highlighted by the traditional dance presentations of every grade level, the national costume fashion show of students, and the display of various cultural artifacts from the Historic Preservation Office, the Council for Arts and Culture, the Philippine Consulate General Office, and the Carolinian Affairs Office.
According to one of the program coordinators, language heritage teacher Elsie San Nicolas, they want to promote a better understanding and appreciation of the various cultures on campus and in the community.
“We want to share with our students the beauty of other cultures and we want them to appreciate and love their uniqueness,” she said.
Cultural Day activities, she added, allow everyone to learn more about each other’s cultures.
Fifth grader Alexandria Castro, 11, said she enjoys the annual festivities on campus as she gets to see “colorful” traditional attires of different nations
Eleven-year-old Christine Acbo, for her part, said she wants to learn the traditional dances of other cultures.
“I want to try dancing their steps,” the fifth grader said.
