Harsh Realities to be Unveiled at Skyview Culture Fair

teacher, Jennifer Lundgren had an instant love for the book, The Trouble With The Alphabet when she discovered it at a recent convention in New Orleans. After purchasing a copy for herself and connecting with author and artist, Caryn West, she decided to bring it into the classroom. 

The Trouble With The Alphabet is not only a book, but also an ongoing campaign to inspire a greater sense of social responsibility among the public. This children's human rights book highlights 26 countries and the heartbreaking issues that face the world's most vulnerable citizens, children. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, to human trafficking and genocide, West shines a light on the troubles and the road ahead by educating the public on how to get involved in each program. 

Lundgren was awarded a $10,000 grant for a Culture Fair and Art Unveiling that will take place at Skyview Community School Monday, May 23. A portion of that grant is being used to unveil 26 2 foot-by-2 foot paintings from the book that showcase each country represented, along with a 1 foot-by-one foot poem to accompany each piece of art. Skyview Middle School is only the fourth school in the nation to showcase this art.

West will attend the event. 

“My hopes with this project are to not just embrace the other cultures, but to celebrate it," Lundgren said. "I really want it to be community-focused. It’s all about bringing people together and celebrating our differences."

In conjunction with the art unveiling is a school-wide culture fair. Every class, including elementary to middle school, has been invited to participate.

“We haven’t had a culture fair in a number of years so we are very excited to bring the community together for this event,” eighth grade geography teacher Linda Dailey said. Dailey’s class was hard at work this week on their projects for the fair.  The students were given the opportunity to choose a project, ranging from countries highlighted in West’s book to animals of the world. 

Three enthusiastic eighth grade students, Carly Boyle, Mallory Fenske and Thomas Bao spent two weeks gathering information on Ethiopia, a world completely new to them. 

“Their life expectancy is much lower than ours and their living conditions aren’t as great. It really makes you appreciate what you have," Fenske said. "It makes me want to get more involved and do something to help other countries.”

The students are presenting their projects in a variety of ways, including books, posters and PowerPoint presentations. The Culture Fair will also include local businesses that will be presenting items and events from various countries, such as traditional tea ceremonies, handmade goods and a petting zoo. 

The Art Unveiling and Culture Fair takes place at on Monday, May 23^rd from 5-8 p.m. All are welcome and encouraged to attend.