By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
LIMESTONE — Kindergarten through fourth-grade students at the Limestone Community School celebrated diversity on March 25 by engaging in a friendship-themed literacy event titled Diversity Day, one of many fun and factual events the elementary students have participated in throughout the year.
Contributed photo
At left, Rebecca Pahel, back right, focuses hard on her Diversity Day poster she drew with Bianca Trenchard, back left; Conan Roussel, front left and Logan Roy, front right. The students artwork from the March 25 literacy event is still on display in the elementary wing of the school.
Friendship has been an important theme at the school, and according to event co-coordinator and Literacy Specialist Reneé Parente, a day to celebrate diversity was the clear next step.
With fun stations set up, like a dancing station where students were able to learn a few semi-cultural dances, a technology station where students utilized the Prometheum Board and a reading station at which students were read books relating to how diversity affects children.
Aside from learning to expand their minds about different cultures, students also actively engaged their critical thinking and literacy skills.
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Limestone Reading Specialist Jennifer Poitras reads aloud a book to a class of students during the March 25 Diversity Day at the school. Reading books pertaining to how diversity affects students was one of three stations offered to students during the literacy event.
“A lot of the activities should have stimulated more thought beyond just the materials covered during the event,” Parente said. “It also showed how learning can take place across the grade levels and across the different subject areas.”
Parente also mentioned that learning is more likely to occur if an activity is more fun, more memorable and more interesting, which is why a holistic approach to literacy and friendship worked so well at the small school; it’s also why the lessons are still being revisited by kids on the interactive display in the elementary wing. At the diversity display, students can look at photos taken during the Diversity Day events, write ideas as to how they can learn about other cultures and hopefully start a dialogue regarding what they learned about diversity.
Contributed photo
Dancing their way through Diversity Day at the Limestone Community School on March 25 were, from left, front row Emily Leighton, Makayla Hixon and Isabel Lowell.
