Lincoln Trail students dusted off their passports for a globe hopping trip that took them to 22 different countries, but still had them home by suppertime.
In today’s school-wide cultural event, HANDS Around the World, classrooms were transformed into countries and a volunteer governors taught students about that country’s people and their culture.
Students moved from classroom to classroom, visiting 8 or 9 different countries throughout the day. They sampled cuisine, learned songs, spoke a bit of the language and discovered what it is like to grow up in a different land.
Twenty-two countries were represented, from Native America to Zambia. Twenty-six high school students and adults volunteered their time to teach Lincoln Trail students about another culture as “governors”.
HANDS stands for Heritages and National Differences Studies, according to Mahomet-Seymour Parent Teacher Organization HANDS co-chairs Alyssa Simpson and Lori Kietzmann.
“The event has been at Lincoln Trail for a long time,” said Simpson. “Some of the teachers at Lincoln Trail participated in HANDS when they were students at Lincoln Trail.”
“HANDS exposes students to information about several countries and their cultures in a fun, exciting and memorable way,” said Kietzmann.
Students said they enjoyed the break from their routine and learning about different lands, especially sampling the food.
“So far, China was my favorite country,” said third grader Alexis Knerr. While visiting China, she sampled dumplings, which she had never had before. “This is fun. I like to do the different activities and taste the different foods,” she added.
Grace Lietz and other fifth grade girls at her lunch table, agree sampling food was one of the better parts of HANDS. Elizabeth Sims added she enjoyed the colorful presentation about India and the opportunity to see other cultures.
Jacob Norman, third grader, said he enjoyed Ireland and China. He also commented it was different learning about places he had never been before.
Klein Powell, fifth grader, said her favorite country was Zambia. “I liked that she told a traditional story from Zambia. I also liked the presentation a lot.” The presentation included pictures of Zambian homes, meals, and types of clothing.
It was a presentation that Zambian governor, Melody Fried, developed with the students in mind.
“I tried to think about what would interest the kids the most: where people live, what people eat, and something different from the culture,” Fried said. But while houses in Zambian villages look different than those in Mahomet, and meals are not the same, Fried said she wanted the students to walk out of her classroom with a sense of how people are similar. “We all need shelter and food. It may look different, our customs are different, but there are a lot of similarities across cultures,” she said.
The day ended with a closing ceremony, coordinated by Lincoln Trail music teacher Sheryl McDonald. “Lincoln Trail students performed music from various countries around the world during the HANDS closing ceremonies,” she said. “The performance and celebration of multi-cultural music helps students appreciate the diverse sounds from around the world.”
While Mahomet is becoming more diverse, it is still important to learn about different cultures, Fried said, adding her own children look forward to HANDS Around the World as a fun day in school.
“I have learned a lot” from HANDS, said fifth grader Lauren Schnepper, adding this is “definitely” an event Mahomet Seymour’s Parent Teacher Organization, sponsor of the program, should keep. She said she enjoyed the food and the games this year. Plus “it’s fun.”
