Richards Elementary is planning an event to celebrate diversity and benefit cultural education.
The school will host a multicultural fair on Saturday, May 7 from 1-4 p.m. at its playground.
“Students will be purchasing tickets to participate in games, crafts, and other activities that represent the many cultures at our school,” said Dana Schmidt, who teaches multilingual students at Richards. “The funds raised will be used to purchase multicultural books for our library and classroom. Also, 10% will go to Su Casa of Columbus.”
According to the school’s social media, the event will also include a raffle, book fair, and food from Nelly’s Cuisine (cash only). Other fair activities include music, a hay ride, piñatas, caricature drawing, mural creation and Shuji writing.
Several countries will be represented at the event, said Schmidt. Local guests will include the NAACP of Columbus/Bartholomew County, Su Casa, IUPUC, the Bartholomew County Humane Society and Columbus author Anakarina Hurtado.
Hurtado’s book, “Gabriel’s Great Adventure,” tells the story of her husband’s family’s move from Cuba to America from the perspective of a 5-year-old. The book is part of an IUPUC Division of Education project funded by an IUPUI Arts and Humanities Grant, in partnership with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp.’s Cultural Learning Center, Family School Partners and teachers.
“Although not every immigration story is the same, Ana hopes her story is relatable and allows readers to see what the journey may be like for a child,” said school officials.
According to the Indiana Department of Education, as of the 2020-21 school year Hispanic students accounted for just over 20% of Richards Elementary’s student population. About 5% of students were Asian, 5% were multiracial and 2% were Black. An estimated 15% of all students were English learners.
