Palos West Celebrates Diversity

Palos Park, IL April 2, 2015 – Palos West Elementary looked like a scene from Disney’s “It’s a Small World” attraction on Tuesday evening at their annual Celebration of Cultures. Nearly 300 were in attendance to enjoy the displays, food, and entertainment that celebrated the ethnic diversity of Palos West English Language Learner (ELL) and Accelerated Learning Program (ALPs) students.

Mrs. Martinez’s ALPs and Mrs. Wojta’s ELL students incorporated the arts into 50 projects and displays featuring over 20 countries with artwork, artifacts, music, dance, literature, traditional games, clothing, language, food samples, and other items of ethnicity. Students proudly represented their ethnic cultures throughout the world with Arabic kuba, Polish sausage, Puerto Rican arroz con gandules, Icelandic pepper cookies, Polish kolaczki, Swedish lingonberry juice and many other goodies. The evening concluded with Greek, Philippine, Irish, and German folk/ethnic dances.

“The students did a fantastic job showcasing the culture they chose to represent. It was great to see them presenting the information on their countries with such confidence and enthusiasm,” said Palos West Principal, Jennifer Peloquin-Biel. “I am so proud of the students and also thankful for such amazing parent support.”