North Babylon Schools Hold Multicultural Celebration

For more than eight years, the North Babylon School District has been celebrating the diversity of its community through the annual Multicultural Celebration. The nearly three-hour event invites community residents to the high school to enjoy an assortment of activities, crafts and music.

This year, students from a number of the district’s schools and clubs sponsored a variety of stations focusing on specific cultures. Members of the high school’s National Honor Society welcomed all guests and handed out multicultural certificates, while Art Club members hosted a face painting station, Life Skills students helped visitors created Chilean rain sticks, and the Students for a Better World club supplied cookies representing flags from multiple nations.

Elementary students from Belmont and Marion G. Vedder painted guests to their stations with Native American body art and created multicultural buttons, Polynesian leis and Guatemalan worry dolls. Additionally, William E. DeLuca and Woods Road English as a Second Language students sponsored a station that allowed those in attendance to create country flags.

Culminating the night was a performance by Napoleon Revels-Bey, who presented his “Rhythm Kings – Al Andalusia to Dizzy” program.

“Tonight is a celebration of our various cultures,” stated Dr. Maureen Fallon, director of social studies and language arts, who organized the event. “Our goal is to keep our own identities, but to also take the time to enjoy and respect the cultures of those around us.”