Lynwood – Nearly 700 Will Rogers Elementary K-6 students strapped on cowboy boots and hats to do-si-do with their partners, dressed in flowery skirts the color of the Mexican flag and sported colorful wigs for their school’s seventh annual Multicultural Festival, where all students presented dances from around the world for their peers.

“This is our year-end celebration that brings our entire campus together,” Will Rogers Assistant Principal Aranzazu Garcia said. “It’s important for our students to experience these cultural differences and learn about the cultures through their own performances.”

Performances encouraged students, parents and teachers in the audience to envision they were in diverse locales like Africa, the old West, Colombia and Argentina.

“I loved watching the dances and seeing the different cultures being represented,” fourth-grader Areonna Hammock said. “The costumes show you where the dances come from.”

Third-graders also celebrated Women’s History Month with a lively dance to “I’m a Lady.”

“This Multicultural Day is so valuable for students to celebrate and honor a wide variety of backgrounds,” Lynwood Unified Board President Alma-Delia Renteria said. “I’m so glad Will Rogers has put this event on for so long and I hope all students take pride in their heritage.”

After the performances concluded, the school hosted its first carnival to raise funds for the school’s Parent Teacher Association. Guests tossed bean bags, flung their Velcro-covered bodies against a felt-covered wall, and knocked down pins with an oversize bowling ball to support the school’s library and end-of-year activities for sixth-graders.

“These events are a great way to support PTAs in their mission to support our schools, and we are fortunate to have such strong partnerships that support our students,” Lynwood Unified Superintendent Gudiel R. Crosthwaite said. “The Multicultural Festival itself is a longstanding tradition at Will Rogers and offers a unique cultural insight for students.”

PHOTO CAPTIONS

062617_LUSD_CULTURES1: Will Rogers Elementary kindergarteners took onlookers to Mexico with their “Chicken Dance” during school’s seventh annual Multicultural Festival, where all students presented dances from around the world for their peers.

062617_LUSD_CULTURES2: Will Rogers Elementary fifth-graders dance the Tango during the school’s seventh annual Multicultural Festival, bringing a little sense of Argentina to their younger peers.