Fairmont students in New Albany celebrate diversity at International Festival

By TARA HETTINGER
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com

May 28, 2009 01:49 pm

— The diversity at Fairmont Elementary is not only seen via the flags hanging in the foyer representing countries students are from, but also heard by the 11 languages spoken at the school.
The school serves as the ELL, or English Language Learners, magnet building, allowing those in other areas within the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corp. to come to Fairmont to have access to the additional help, said Principal Susie Gahan. That help includes two interpreters and two ELL teachers, she added.
On Wednesday, the students celebrated their differences with the 2009 International Festival. Each class studied one country, created a float for a parade in the school’s gym and the teacher came up with activities focused on those lessons. The classes then spent the day switching rooms and participating in activities to learn about countries all over the world.
Katie Speak, kindergarten teacher, came up with the idea and helped organize this year’s festival, the second of what is now an annual event.
“We really wanted to make it a big show and have a day of fun,” she said. “We really hope our children can appreciate one another because we are so different.”
Kids said they notice the differences, but find ways to learn and work with it.
“I don’t even know what they’re saying! But they’re fun to play with,” 9-year-old Leslie Lewen said, adding that language can be a barrier with that. “You just play tag or something then.”
“It’s good because you get to learn more about different [countries],” 6-year-old Jom Kumsingh said.
“We can learn something from it like their language and what they do in their country,” 10-year-old Elizabeth Drake said.
“It’s like weird because you don’t know what they’re talking about,” said 9-year-old Perla Moran, who is from Mexico and speaks Spanish and English fluently. “It’s fun, though, because other people get to learn other things.”
The festival also served as an opportunity for students from other countries to show off their roots.
“It’s fun because I remember my country,” 7-year-old Marjony Gomez said of Mexico.
Deedee Burke, who teaches first grade, said the school provides a unique opportunity for lessons in addition to those needed for the festival.
“It kind of enriches our classroom a little bit,” Burke said, adding that she uses it as an excuse to teach lessons on countries that classmates are from. “And they love to share and talk about their homes.”
Right now, she has children from Honduras, Mexico and Cambodia.
“It’s fun,” Burke said of teaching at the school for 18 of her 23-year career. “It’s so fun.”

About the school
• 282 students
• 11 languages spoken
• Countries represented include: Mexico, Mongolia, Japan, Cambodia, China, Pakistan, El Salvador and more
• Ethnicity percentages: 60 white, 21 Hispanic, 8 multiracial, 7 black and 4 Asian
• Eighty-one percent of the students are on the free or reduced price lunch program
— Ind. Department of Education and Principal Susie Gahan

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