As a culminating activity for their yearlong character education and Dignity for All program, Deauville Gardens East Elementary School held a day centered on cultural appreciation on May 19.

Every student in the building watched the video “Everybody Belongs.” Classroom teachers in each grade level led different activities. Kindergarten classes read the “The Color of Us” and created rainbows that were unique to each of them. First grade students compared different colored apples to see that even though the outsides were different, inside remained the same. The first graders made self-portraits identifying their unique traits. Second graders created circle maps and wrote poetry about their unique characteristics and kindness.

The third grade students interviewed one another to learn about both their similarities and differences. In fourth grade, the classes studied their cultures and explored different cultures around the world. They crafted posters that each student shared with their class. Fifth graders studied different languages, foods and cultures and compared them to their own. They created a cultural research project in Google Slides.

“We are putting our character education program into action,” said Lysa Mullady, school counselor. “We are teaching our students respect, kindness and tolerance and showing them that we are a community. They are learning that character doesn’t count unless there is action behind it.”

Each student in the school created a pinwheel in a rainbow of colors. The pinwheels were all placed on the fence and each class went outside to see the creation.

Date Added 6/13/2022