Rockton School District Hosts First Annual Cultural Night
Rockton School District Superintendent Dan Phelps stated how pleased he was that they could, "shine light on the diversity and different cultures in the Rockton and Roscoe communities".
On Wednesday, October 15th, Whitman Post Elementary School held the area’s first ever multicultural celebration. This event was spearheaded by the head E.L.L. teacher, Abi Krebs. Krebs commented that her inspiration was to just be able to “display all our cultures that are in our community and in our school” while also educating people in a fun, new way.
Upon entering the gymnasium, guests received passports to get a sticker at each country they visited which they got to exchange for an adorable luggage tag keychain at the end. There were 15 booths in total including 10 different countries and some community organizations dedicated to encouraging cultural acceptance. Every country represented was displayed by a Roscoe/Rockton family.
Several families made traditional dishes from their countries for the guests to try while they learned about the culture. The table representing India, for example, had homemade Chettinad Rangoon Puttu which is a popular sweet treat made out of roasted semolina. Italy’s table also featured desserts like cannoli bites, garlic breadsticks with Nutella, and Biscoff cookies.
The Mexico table featured traditional breads along with sugar skull face painting, an ofrenda adorned with foods and marigolds, and a lotería activity. Ingrid Dominguez was in charge of representing Mexico and played a large role in making the entire night happen. For Mrs. Dominguez, the main driver in helping support the Cultural Night was to give “children a different perspective on different cultures and heritages.” She and her husband are both from Veracruz, Mexico, and they have two children in the district. Her commitment to reaching out to parents and getting other cultural backgrounds involved helped make the night a success.
In addition to their booth displays, the event featured two Hispanic folkloric dance performances and a martial arts show. The dances were put on by Herencia Cultural Ballet and the Juvenile Mexican Folk Blood Ballet of Beloit. Dancers wore traditional dresses featuring floral headdresses and multicolor lace trimmings. Later in the night, Team No Limits from Limitless Martial Arts in Roscoe did an impressive skills display including several flips and high-level moves to Hispanic music.
Rockton School District Superintendent Dan Phelps discussed how happy he was to be able to “shine light on the diversity and different cultures” in the Rockton/Roscoe community. He emphasized the importance of “providing education” and showing “inclusion” as a district.
