“Diversity is what makes our school so special.”

Pakanasink Principal Brian Breheny said these words at the start of the PAK Diversity Day parade earlier this month. The parade was the culmination of a day filled with celebration, learning and pride in our multicultural community.

 

 

Students spent the day exploring the cultural backgrounds of their friends  and their families—whether it’s where they or their ancestors once lived. At PAK, 52 countries across five continents are represented. That’s  incredible!

 

A big thank you to family members who came in to set up their tables in the music room. They generously shared stories, artifacts, music, and traditions from their countries.

 

 

We had families from Cuba, Malta, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Peru, Kosovo, Jamaica, England, Guyana, India, Bahamas, Colombia, Venezuela, Poland, Macedonia, Native American, Puerto Rico and El Salvador.

 

 

Students were excited to learn about their classmates’ heritage—customs, traditional clothing, languages, and music. Some of our students and their families even came wearing their native country’s dress.

 

 

Toward the end of the day, the students all lined up for the Diversity Day parade of nations. They were grouped by continent, with a separate group representing the Caribbean. Families and friends lined up to watch as their children paraded by, waving flags of their heritage. They walked onto the back soccer field waving their flags to music representing that part of the world.

 

 

They smiled as they found their families in the crowd. The joy and pride was evident, from the families as well as the proud children!

 

It was a beautiful day of unity – a reminder that our diversity makes us both unique and stronger!

 

Well done, PAK!