GRAVETTE — Colorful banners and balloons decorated the doorway, and lively mariachi music played in the background as guests arrived for the multicultural potluck dinner held Tuesday, April 25, at the Gravette Upper Elementary School cafeteria. A video presentation prepared by English for Speakers of Other Languages students played on a screen on stage, showing scenes from various countries and displaying foods and details about the culture of each nation studied. Theme of the event was "Celebrating Our Heritage."
Guests were greeted by Ruth Kennedy, ESOL coordinator, and Mariana Blessing, Spanish I and II teacher. They expressed thanks to Mandy Barrett, principal at GUE, for providing the location for the dinner, and to all the parents and grandparents of ESOL students who brought food and participated in the program. Sang Hyun Kim, ESOL assistant, served as a cohost. Kim is from South Korea.
The meal was catered by staff from El Pueblito Mexican restaurant of Bella Vista, which served a traditional chili colorado meal with refried beans, seasoned rice, flour tortillas, chips and salsa. Families of students attending supplemented the menu with dishes representative of their cultural roots. These included chicken and beef dishes, seasoned rice, mixed green salad and homemade bread with apple butter. Beverages served were horchata, a rice water drink flavored with cinnamon, and iced tea. There was cake for dessert.
Coloring stations and origami stations were set up at the side of the room where students could do craft projects. They were invited to make stars using origami, the ancient Japanese art of paper folding, and place them on a world map hanging on the wall, at a location showing their family's country of origin. Other tables were decorated with musical instruments, woven mats and other souvenirs from various countries.
Entertainment was provided by dancers from the Ballet Folklorico Herencia de Mexico, of Springdale, the performing arm of the Latin Art Organization of Arkansas. LAOA offers dance instruction to all interested individuals, ages 6 to adult. Reflecting the traditions, customs and lifestyles of various regions in Mexico, the beautifully costumed dancers share the excitement of folk dancing throughout Arkansas. Some of the younger dancers came to the dinner at Gravette and, dressed in their colorful attire, performed several dances.
Community on 05/03/2017