Mount Prospect School Hosts Sixth Annual International Day: Building Community Through the Arts

Mount Prospect School held their sixth annual International Day on Friday, December 9th.

The Mount Prospect Cultural Arts Chair, Mrs. Cecelia Gomez, and PTO International Day Committee, Tissiana Oliva, Kala Hariharan, and Sophia Hu funded this event and organized the day with school administrators to celebrate the diversity of the community. During the school day, parents and members of the community volunteered their time to create presentations and engage students in cultural activities about 22 different countries. The 22 countries represented include: Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, and the U.S.A.

In the evening, families were invited to “Taste of the Nations” where the volunteer parents shared information about their country’s culture along with samples of their cuisines. The Mount Prospect School orchestra performed to introduce the third grade student multicultural dances. The dances were directed and choreographed by Joanna Pang Atkins from Morris Arts in Morristown, New Jersey. Mrs. Rupa Gurumurthy, a parent in the Hills community, assisted the students with their dancing techniques. Countries highlighted in the dance performance were: Mexico, India, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S.A. Joanna Pang Atkins has been a lifelong performer, who has toured internationally and experienced dance and music cultures in many countries. Her professional teaching background is in dance and she teaches all ages from kindergarten to adult. Mrs. Atkins was the recipient of the 2014 Arts Educator Award; additionally, she has been a lifelong performer touring internationally and experiencing dance and music cultures in different countries. She has a special rapport with children, and at many schools her World Dance residencies have become an annual tradition.

In the evening, the Bernards Township Education Association sponsored a photobooth for students and families to capture the spirit and special memory of Mount Prospect School’s International Day. Everyone who attended enjoyed the event!