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When I was in elementary school, I can distinctly recall the large ancestry project that was required of me and all fifth graders. It was a rite of passage that we as fifth graders were excited to do and one that parents were just as excited to be finished with! It included interviewing grandparents, discovering family origins, researching the culture, language, customs, and food of the country of the family’s origin, and putting all of that into a poster presentation. Then, on a special day, parents and classmates would circulate around a classroom while listening to these poster presentations. To this day, I remember how excited I was to share all that I knew about my Italian heritage with my classmates.
Learning about and sharing one another’s cultural heritage in school is an important part of student development. Students have the opportunity to learn about their ancestral roots while having a chance to bring their family’s traditions, language, food, and cultural customs to others in the school community. All good schools work to create a connection with a student’s family life. At Cristo Rey Jesuit, while we celebrate a variety of cultures at points throughout the year, there are certain months dedicated to more deeply celebrating the cultures represented in our school.
We just concluded Hispanic Heritage month with a large assembly featuring Latino cultural traditions, language, dress, music and dancing. Some of our girls modeled ornately decorated quinceanera dresses. We also had a guitar band of three of our young men entertain the student body with some Spanish language music. We also had a LOT of dancing! There were traditional solo dances and some group folklorico dancing. At one point, several of our staff members and some students were invited to the gym floor to learn the basic Salsa steps. The lead dancer modeled, “1-2-3 (pause) 5-6-7 (pause)” and repeated first slowly, then faster as the group learned. The group stepped side to side and front to back in this cadence to the beat of the music. There were many missteps, and we definitely learned who had rhythm and who didn’t! Everyone had smiles on their faces as they tried to move to the beat of the music. It was a moment where culture brought us all together, even those who were just learning!
Cristo Rey Jesuit prepares its students for a world that is intricately and globally interconnected. We know that learning about and celebrating the different cultures and customs of our students and families creates a stronger family and school community. When students and families proudly share cultural identities and heritages with one another, this can be a powerful unifying force. I know that when I shared my cultural background with my classmates, I felt more a part of the community even though our class had students with a variety of backgrounds. Sometimes when we are unfamiliar with a culture or its customs, it can feel like a risk to be curious or learn about them. It may mean we make a wrong dance step once in a while. If we take a chance, stay humble, and keep moving with the music, though, we can all begin moving in the right direction.
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