Canterbury Elementary honors children and unites families with Day of the Child celebration

Approximately 275 people attended the Day of the Child celebration at Canterbury on Saturday, April 30. The Day of the Child (El Día del Niño) is a holiday that highlights and honors children and is celebrated annually in Mexico on April 30 and in other Latin countries throughout the month of April. The Canterbury PTO and the Canterbury Community Council in conjunction with Crystal Lake Central High School’s Latino Leadership Club and Spanish National Honor Society hosted the affair, which featured crafts, dancing, martial arts demonstrations, soccer, face painting, a photo booth, snacks and more.

Canterbury, like a few other District 47 elementary schools, has been seeking ways to connect Latino parents to their child’s educational experience and the school as approximately 40 percent of its student population is Latino. In response to the school’s changing demographics, the Canterbury Community Council (CCC) was established in the 2010-2011 school year by then principal Rachael Alt with the goal of building a partnership between the school, families and the community to support education and learning for all students.

“We wanted to find ways to emphasize the importance of parent and community involvement in the school, providing parents ways to be more involved in the school and to support their child's learning at home,” said Alt, now principal at South Elementary. The CCC is comprised of Canterbury parents and faculty and is supported by various community organizations that provide donations and resources to assist with professional development opportunities for staff and events at Canterbury to build the school-home partnership in learning. Thanks to this support, Canterbury is able to host informational meetings, parent trainings, ESL classes and a multitude of volunteer opportunities for parents. The Day of the Child event was made possible by a variety of local businesses and organizations, including American Freestyle Martial Arts, Central High School National Honor Society, Hannah Beardsley Dual Language Ambassadors, Community Cloverleaves 4-H Club, Buena Vista, Pablo’s Mexican Restaurant, and The Pizza Place.

Event organizer and Canterbury PTO chair Cathleen Martin said, “This event provided a wonderful opportunity for Canterbury students with Mexican heritage to celebrate their individuality and to connect with their family’s deeply rooted cultural traditions.” Martin explained that the event also allowed Latino families to share their personal childhood memories of the holiday with Canterbury students.

“It is beautiful to see children of all different backgrounds celebrating a cultural event such as this,” said Canterbury principal Stacy Graff. “Educating the whole child is an emphasis in our district, and this event exemplifies the concept. Great things can happen when we move beyond acceptance and truly learn to value and celebrate one another.”