By: Shekela Mitchell Best
“I have a dream.” Those were the words of the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. preaching to a society where diversity wasn’t embraced nor appreciated. Nowadays, it’s hard to honestly say his dream has truly become a reality; however, for those who attended Coronation Elementary School’s Multicultural Day on June 8th, perhaps we all received a delightful taste.
This was far more than your typical multicultural celebration. It was an eclectic and captivating event celebrating a variety of cultures in a gratifying energy that was simply intoxicating. The event included lunch, entertainment, raffle tickets for VIP movie tickets, and a fashion show. The students were definitely in for a treat.
Lunch was transformed into a delicious buffet that included foods from all over the world. Students were sensationally entertained by fellow peers as they dined. “It was great and tasty,” said Evan Zhu, a fourth grade student spectator.
The entertainment began with the sweet sounds of steel pan playing radio-hits that the students know and love. Followed by a lyrical hip hop dance and a song sung beautifully by a student in the Tamil language .
The show ended with an amazing fashion show where students were trained for the runway by model and 2015 Miss Montreal Carnival Queen, Samantha Spence. Students brought outfits that represented their countries and proudly strutted down the runway as their peers cheer triumphantly.
Not only were students learning about different cultures, it gave them an opportunity to try new things.
“It was fun,” said Aliyah McDonald, a Third Grade student who modeled for the beautiful island of Jamaica. “I was kind of nervous, but I pulled through.”
It was her first time modeling and she gleamed with excitement about the experience.
Nineteen countries from every part of the globe were represented and celebrated. It truly showed off the diversity of the school and the community, an aspect that is often undermined in schools.
Yet, these students were given a taste of the different cultures with authenticity, thanks to
we have in this school.”
There is no doubt that Coronation Elementary is a diverse inner city school that takes pride in the cultures of their students.
However, through the celebration of diversity, it generated a sense of unity. The incredible parent volunteers and coronation staff created a family-like environment. The warm smiles were contagious throughout the event.
Jacintha Duplan, the daycare technician and organizer of the event said, “It was amazing to see the parental support and the school’s effort to put together such an event. Events like this should be shown. The world needs to see what the beauty of true diversity and unity is really about.”
That’s exactly what Coronation Elementary School’s Multicultural Day celebration did. It felt like a family reunion where although the beauty of differences were highlighted, the aspect of togetherness was emphasized.
Simply put, a true taste of the dream.
