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Students, Parents and Teachers Enjoyed Exciting Heritage Festival
Delray Beach, Fla. – Nov. 18, 2009 – S.D. Spady Elementary Montessori Magnet School in Delray Beach welcomed a record crowd to its annual family picnic, with a theme of “Honoring All Cultures,” this past weekend. Parents, teachers, school administrators, PTA members and other representatives from the community donated their time and talents to present this free, family-oriented event on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., exclusively for the Spady pupils and their families.
The multicultural festival featured authentic ethnic food, games, crafts, activities and traditions from 15 different cultures represented in the school population, including Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, German, Brazilian, Haitian, Peruvian, Swedish, Italian, African American, Cajun French and others. Highlights of the day included performances by the Junior Delray Divas and Southern Dance Theatre troupes, as well as a Brazilian kite-flying demonstration, Peruvian dancing, Haitian artwork, Indian jewelry, an authentic Mexican piñata, Chinese tea rituals, Japanese origami, with materials donated by The Morikami Museum, and the “Cultural Carnival” parade.
The children also enjoyed face painting and fun with the Krackerjac Clowns, bounce houses, pony rides, a variety of games and crafts, traditional picnic fare and tastes from different cultures, such as German potato salad and apple strudel, Italian spaghetti and meatballs, Cajun seafood gumbo, Mexican rice pudding, macaroni and cheese and collard greens and other cultural delicacies. Students also had the chance to “Cream a Teacher,” by throwing whipped cream pies at beloved teachers as well as Principal Martha O'Hare, Assistant Principal Rona Tata and Magnet Coordinator Teresa Thomas.
According to Picnic Coordinator Carrie Gibbons, “All the students, teachers and families really seemed to enjoy the 'Honoring All Cultures' theme. We have such a rich and diverse population here at Spady, and it was educational, fun, entertaining, inclusive and delicious to experience all that those cultures have to offer. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful community here at our school.”
The S.D. Spady Elementary PTA Picnic Committee, chaired by Gibbons and Andrea Dias, organized, sponsored and hosted the event with assistance from numerous volunteers. Proceeds from the event will be donated to various organizations within the school, such as the school Safety Patrol, and other charitable groups in the community.
The picnic also offered a unique opportunity for parents to protect their children through the SecureChild Photo ID System, available free of charge from Paul Jenkins and Ibis Financial during the day. Other event attendees included Susan Berkowitz-Schwartz from All Peoples Day, Charlene Jones from the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, representatives from Costco, and Jeanne Monte accompanied by an eager, helpful group of foreign exchange high school students from PAX.org among others.
With a long and rich history, Spady Elementary School is named for Solomon David Spady, the African-American educator who gave more than 35 years of service to the school, which was originally established in 1895 as “Colored School #4. In 1922, Dr. Booker T. Washington recommended Spady, a student of Dr. George Washington Carver, to become principal of what was then called Smith-Hughes Vocational School. Spady often inspired his students by telling them about his personal encounters with Washington and Carver. Since 1989, Spady Elementary has been a public magnet school in the Palm Beach School District, offering a high quality Montessori education for nearly 700 students, ages three to 12, from throughout Palm Beach County.
Delray Beach, Fla. – Nov. 18, 2009 – S.D. Spady Elementary Montessori Magnet School in Delray Beach welcomed a record crowd to its annual family picnic, with a theme of “Honoring All Cultures,” this past weekend. Parents, teachers, school administrators, PTA members and other representatives from the community donated their time and talents to present this free, family-oriented event on Saturday, Nov. 14, from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., exclusively for the Spady pupils and their families.
The multicultural festival featured authentic ethnic food, games, crafts, activities and traditions from 15 different cultures represented in the school population, including Sri Lankan, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, German, Brazilian, Haitian, Peruvian, Swedish, Italian, African American, Cajun French and others. Highlights of the day included performances by the Junior Delray Divas and Southern Dance Theatre troupes, as well as a Brazilian kite-flying demonstration, Peruvian dancing, Haitian artwork, Indian jewelry, an authentic Mexican piñata, Chinese tea rituals, Japanese origami, with materials donated by The Morikami Museum, and the “Cultural Carnival” parade.
The children also enjoyed face painting and fun with the Krackerjac Clowns, bounce houses, pony rides, a variety of games and crafts, traditional picnic fare and tastes from different cultures, such as German potato salad and apple strudel, Italian spaghetti and meatballs, Cajun seafood gumbo, Mexican rice pudding, macaroni and cheese and collard greens and other cultural delicacies. Students also had the chance to “Cream a Teacher,” by throwing whipped cream pies at beloved teachers as well as Principal Martha O'Hare, Assistant Principal Rona Tata and Magnet Coordinator Teresa Thomas.
According to Picnic Coordinator Carrie Gibbons, “All the students, teachers and families really seemed to enjoy the 'Honoring All Cultures' theme. We have such a rich and diverse population here at Spady, and it was educational, fun, entertaining, inclusive and delicious to experience all that those cultures have to offer. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful community here at our school.”
The S.D. Spady Elementary PTA Picnic Committee, chaired by Gibbons and Andrea Dias, organized, sponsored and hosted the event with assistance from numerous volunteers. Proceeds from the event will be donated to various organizations within the school, such as the school Safety Patrol, and other charitable groups in the community.
The picnic also offered a unique opportunity for parents to protect their children through the SecureChild Photo ID System, available free of charge from Paul Jenkins and Ibis Financial during the day. Other event attendees included Susan Berkowitz-Schwartz from All Peoples Day, Charlene Jones from the Spady Cultural Heritage Museum, representatives from Costco, and Jeanne Monte accompanied by an eager, helpful group of foreign exchange high school students from PAX.org among others.
With a long and rich history, Spady Elementary School is named for Solomon David Spady, the African-American educator who gave more than 35 years of service to the school, which was originally established in 1895 as “Colored School #4. In 1922, Dr. Booker T. Washington recommended Spady, a student of Dr. George Washington Carver, to become principal of what was then called Smith-Hughes Vocational School. Spady often inspired his students by telling them about his personal encounters with Washington and Carver. Since 1989, Spady Elementary has been a public magnet school in the Palm Beach School District, offering a high quality Montessori education for nearly 700 students, ages three to 12, from throughout Palm Beach County.
