International parents help Autauga students explore cultures of the world
PRATTVILLE − About 1,500 elementary students in Autauga County got to travel the world Friday without ever leaving the confines of the Willis Bradford YMCA Branch in Prattville.
It was all part of the school system’s celebration of International Day. The idea is to get first through sixth graders from Billingsley School, Daniel Pratt Elementary School and Pine Level Elementary School, put them on buses and take them for the trip.
The students had "passports” that were stamped to show the countries they visited. Volunteers, mostly parents of international students, set up booths in the YMCA's gym showing snippets of their nation’s culture, from clothing to language to food. Thirty-two nations were represented.
“This is just a fun way for our students to learn about new cultures,” said Rebecca Thomas, spokeswoman for the system. “We have such a large number of students from the international officers program (at Maxwell Air Force Base), and this gives them an opportunity to show their cultures.
“And we are so appreciative of our international parents, they have done most of the work and have really enjoyed teaching our students.”
For Brantley Bush, a seven-year-old in Susie Smith’s first grade class at Billingsley, Sri Lanka was a favorite stop. “I liked the food, the rice and coconut,” he said.
Hazel Grace Lucas is a classmate of Brantley’s and loved visiting India. “I loved the clothes. They were so colorful,” the six-year-old said.
Autauga County schools have an enrollment of about 9,000 and there are 466 students who speak 27 languages representing 47 countries. English and Spanish are the most popular, but the other languages range from Arabic to Vietnamese. There are 266 students who take part in the English as a second language program.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: International parents help Autauga students explore global cultures
