WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Students at Smith Farm Elementary in Winston-Salem are on a journey around the world. Twenty-three countries and 6 continents to be exact!
“We are a global studies school and so each year, the grade levels study a different continent,” P.E. Specialist Lizz Bujnak said. “This year we had all of the classes choose a country from their continent and they spent the entire year researching their country.”
Bujnak and Visual Arts Teacher Kristina Stevenson planned a multicultural night for students and their parents on March 7.
“Every student that came in the door, they got a passport, and they went around and visited all the different countries and saw everything that their classmates worked on all year,” Bujnak said.
Artwork was a big part of the presentations and research. Many still line the hallways of the school.
“We did Aboriginal Dot Art, Korean Ink Blowing, and we learned origami for Japan,” Stevenson said. “We created Tiki masks for Polynesia. We wove Fijian Masi. So, in Fiji, they use the bark of a tree and they weave skirts and shawls and table mats.”
Helping students find their place in a big world, that can sometimes feel overwhelming, is what educators say it’s all about.
“They were so excited to show their parents what they had created,” Stevenson said. “I think that it is vital these days for children to recognize that the world is a great big place. It goes outside of their small inner circle, but I also think children need to realize they can do anything they want to.”
Smith Farm is a Dual-Language Immersion School.