Multi-Cultural Festival at Ardena School: A Smorgasbord of Diversity

Parents and students of the Ardena School received a lesson in international diversity Thursday night. The Multi-Cultural Festival consisted of an hour of live cultural performances and an hour of hands-on stations with information, food samples, crafts and culturally significant items from various countries.

The Ardena PTA funded the event through a grant it was awarded by the National PTA. Ardena submitted an application for the grant for its “Take Your Family to School Week Program”, and were one of only 32 schools in the country to be awarded the grant, and the only school to win it in New Jersey. 

“The grant was in the amount of $1,897 — representative of the year the PTA was founded,” Ardena PTA President Laura Matthews said. 

The Ardena School now hosts the English Language Learners (ELL) program for the district. A disconnection was noticed between ELL participation in school events versus the rest of the school parent population. 

This multi-cultural event was, therefore, designed to allow the members of the ELL to “feel included in our school culture and our climate and our environment,” Principal Deborah Pennel said. 

The idea for the Multi-Cultural Festival stemmed from Ardena PTA Treasurer Janet Schindler. “Not only did she write the grant application, she also envisioned, planned, organized and chaired the event,” Matthews said. “Many countless hours of Janet’s time have gone into making this evening one we can all enjoy. I’d like to extend my deepest appreciation for all of her hard work and effort that she put into this fun-filled and educational event.”

New Jersey State PTA President Judy Hyde and Monmouth County PTA President Rose Acerra were in attendance. Hyde presented Matthews with a certificate congratulating her for the well-deserved honor of receiving the grant. 

The evening started off with an American flare. Students from the fourth and fifth grades sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" amid a backdrop of flags from various countries. The singers were accompanied by the student saxophonists, Michael Peniston and and Hoang Nam Vu. 

Next stop, South Korea. Master Park’s Black Belt America, a martial arts school out of Marlboro, put on a performance of Taekwondo. Boys and girls of all ages showed off their fighting technique. The crowd was roused when the children began kicking and punching wooden boards — pieces of which flew into the crowd! 

The second demonstration transported the audience to the small country of Latvia. The Lakewood-New Brunswick Latvian Lutheran Church Choir and members of the Latvian Cultural Center Priedaine in Howell sang a number of songs in Latvian. The first two were colorful pieces sung only by men and accompanied by piano. The rest of the songs included an accordion, trejdeksnis (or metal rattles), and a long wooden branch with loose beads on the inside. These songs included the singing from a group of women dressed in traditional Latvian garb. 

Participation came when Vinh Vu took the stage with his guitar to teach the parents and students a Vietnamese song. The gymnasium was full of Vietnamese singing as the audience sang along to Vu with the help of a projection on the wall which spelled out the lyrics. 

Finally, the Warnock-Seery Irish Dancers closed out the show. Girls in beautiful Irish costumes and wigs showed off their fancy foot-work to customary Irish songs. 

After the show, the audience filed into the cafeteria to experience the culture tables. India, Ireland, Italy, Greece, South Korea, Mexico, Latvia, Dominican Republic, Spain, Ecuador, Peru, Costa Rica, and Honduras were represented. 

Each table had a special sampling of food from their country, a large poster explaining the culture, a table full of knick-knacks with cultural significance, and a small craft for the children to partake in. 

A special offering of the evening was a Latin Drumming lesson which took place in the art room. Dorothy Sikora of Joy of Music taught interactive drumming lessons every 15 minutes to parents and children interested in learning latin percussion.

The festival was a huge success and a great sampling of the cultures representative locally. Not only did the ELL students get involved in a school activity, but the students were able to learn more about international diversity and humanities. 

Sometimes exposure to our differences can unite a community.