Westwood Elementary to Host Multicultural Fair on Friday

In just one evening, children can get their passports stamped at nearly two dozen countries during Multicultural Fair this Friday.

The fair, which is sponsored by Westwood’s PTA, will feature booths representing 21 different countries. Every booth will offer a craft, game or food sample, as well as a poster board and other items to inform attendees about the diverse cultures.

“We really want to celebrate the diversity in our community, especially our school,” Multicultural Fair Co-Chair Melissa Montanez said.

Each child will receive a passport to get stamped at the booths they visit. There will also be an on-site camera to take pictures for their passport booklets.

“It looks like a real passport, so that’s kind of fun,” Montanez said. “They will be totally immersed in an environment that is celebrating all cultures.”

In addition to the booths, there will be multiple cultural performances, from ballet folklorico to martial arts. Furthermore, five fifth graders and a teacher will participate in a stage version of the television show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? that will include questions relevant to the countries represented at the fair.

“The multicultural fair exposes children to other cultures that they might not otherwise get to experience,” said Christine Cloutier, a fourth-grade teacher at Westwood and fair co-chair. “I think it really broadens their horizons, so they get a better understanding of where others are coming from.”

Cloutier, who has worked at the school for 16 years, said she wanted to organize a multicultural event for some time. She and Montanez worked together last year to host the first Westwood Multicultural Fair. More than 400 people showed up to visit the 15 booths, she said.

“The experience of learning about new things and new cultures and trying new things is important for kids,” Cloutier said. “They all came away with it. Each one of them that I talked to had something different that they loved.”

Westwood, Cloutier said, is so diverse that there are 14 different languages represented in her classroom this year.

“We have a very diverse culture and a lot of languages represented at the school,” Cloutier said. “It really helps them to be more understanding of where other people are coming from when they’re being exposed to all these different cultures every day.”

To celebrate the school’s diversity, all of the students were asked to bring a picture of their families. The pictures are posted in the hallway’s “Forest of Families,” so event attendees can view them.

Parents and other family members also volunteered to manage the booths.

“They will really be impressed with learning that their classmates and friends come from such a rich background,” Montanez said. “In America, we’re all part of the same society, but culturally, there’s so many things to learn. …It’s funny how you learn about the differences, but you also learn about similarities. There’s so many similarities that we don’t see, because we don’t learn about those cultures."

While the event is free and open to the public, donations will be accepted for Japan's earthquake and tsunami relief effort.

The fair will take place in the multipurpose room at Westwood from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday.  Westwood Elementary is located at 17449 Matinal Rd. in San Diego.

Find us on Facebook and Twitter @RBPatch.