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Evergreen Park schools plan first annual District 124 Culture Night Feb. 27 at Northeast School
Summary
District staff announced a districtwide Culture Night on Feb. 27 to showcase community cultural displays, student performances and family activities intended to promote cultural awareness and multilingual inclusion across Evergreen Park ESD 124.
Megan Franco, a district staff member, told the board that Evergreen Park Elementary School District 124 will host its first annual District 124 Culture Night on Feb. 27 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Northeast School.
Franco said the event’s goal is “to promote cultural awareness and appreciation of the various cultures of our family, staff, and community members,” and to give families opportunities to share stories and traditions with one another. The evening will be split into two parts: display tables and activities from 6 to 7 p.m., and performances from 7 to 8 p.m.
At displays and activity tables families and staff will represent countries including Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Germany, Ireland and India, Franco said. Newcomer families will offer henna tattoos, and a “family interview room” will collect short recorded interviews via a QR-linked Padlet, with translations provided, so the district can archive personal stories. The district will give away copies of a District 124 cookbook; organizers are still accepting recipe submissions.
Fifth-grade students will share country-unit projects and lead a scavenger hunt for families; businesses have donated raffle prizes. The district’s bilingual parent advisory council plans to provide international board games for attendees to learn and play, and Franco named examples including mancala and ludo. Performances will include Irish dancers, Native American dancers, a performance related to India’s national anthem from a newcomer family, a local high-school step team and a presentation by artist Gloria Contreras on Mexican folk art and sculptural traditions. Performances will be introduced in English, Spanish and Gujarati by multilingual students.
Franco said the evening will conclude with a community dance and invited district families, staff and board members to attend and to register display tables or volunteer; admission is open and no registration is required to attend. The board and staff confirmed the event is districtwide, not limited to the host building.
Organizers asked the community to promote the event through social media and school newsletters; Franco thanked Dana Leonard and other committee members for their work.
