Students at A. Brian Merry Elementary School marked the start of a new cultural education program Thursday with a ceremony that celebrated their own diversity.
Students' illustrations of their families within their culture were projected onto the cafeteria wall. Students and teachers performed music from Finland, Scotland and Iran.
Students holding colored paper flowers walked in a circle, then mixed all the colors together in closing.
The pilot program's curriculum will be covered in 30-minute sessions twice a month, Principal Elizabeth Schad said.
It will cover Hispanic culture in September, Indian in October, Native American in November, European in December, the Far East in January, black in February, and disabilities in March.
The goal is to build an appreciation of other cultures at an early age, said Richmond County Superintendent Dana Bedden, who selected the school to develop the program.
"It's probably one of the most quietly successful schools in Richmond County," he said.
The program has its roots in the John Deere Commercial Products company's program for cultural education. The company and the Rev. Larry Fryer brought the concept to the school system.
The school has a diverse population. When Ms. Schad sent home a diversity survey at the beginning of the year, she found in the 220 she received back that there were 15-20 parents in each cultural category.
"It was very eye-opening just to see in my parent population," she said.
Reach Sarah Day Owen at (706) 823-3223 or sarah.owen@augustachronicle.com.
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Thats Great
How many illegials are in this group we are paying for
How many Obama supporters and how many athiest and america haters.
they should be learning how to stand on thier own two feet and not live on welfare,someone else's money
Disabilities are considered a culture? I must have missed that along the way.
It is definitely a group that children need to learn about and not make fun of regardless weather it is a culture or not, it is still part of Diversity and that's what this program is.
Hey, I'm disabled, you don't think I'm cultured? It is truly ridiculous to consider disablities as "cultures".
Good idea to make disabilities a separate culture. That way they really stand out in comparison with regular people. I wonder how the handicapped culture is different from Black or causasian cultures? By the way I always check numbers when they are provided and it appears some cultures were omitted. 220 divided by 15 -20 equals at least 11 different cultures but they are only celebrating 7 including disabilities. The reason I am concerned is I have a disability called diabettes and I sure want to know when thet became a culture.
Once we were a "melting pot" that became the American Culture. Prized by the world. I want to be an American. Now we are a "Cobb Salad" that has become the most mixed up hated country in the world. The Roman Empire learned about "embracing diversity" and it collapsed. I place Diversity Training right up there with Values Clarification. They do have their place in "government schools" and make little Jane and Johnny good "comrades". Enbrace everything and no absolute right and wrong. Lets have Hindo Month. No more burgers. Just rats surrounding starving, plague infected bodies. Lets have Moslem Month. Steal and apple from the cafeteria and we cut off your hand. And maybe if we are really good, we can have White Anglo-Saxon Month and attach all of the worlds problems on those children.
Hmm, what are the cultures being appreciated and celebrated in April and May? Or are we done being diverse then?
It really is all about culture. It was never white, brown or black. It was how you live and die. How you respect yourself, authority and others. Do you respect human life above othr life forms. Are you amoral? Are you a political. Do you give a s__t about anything? Maybe I like my culture and you yours? Do we have to forsake ours to accept yours? I think we do and that is the desired outcome. To accept the lowest common denominator's culture. Masticate, Deficate, Urinate, Propogate.
Will the children be instructed in the "homosexual culture", the "drug culture", the "pediphile culture" or the "black revolutionary culture". I think the ACLU would want them to embrace all minority groups.
Rubbage! Teach them to READ! Teach them to WRITE! Teach them about the FOUNDING FATHERS and the sacrifices they made to give birth to the greatest country on Earth! Teach them to ADD and SUBTRACT! Teach them basic ECONOMICS so that they won't fall prey to the lies told by the ruthless politicians and elite media in Washington, Boston, and New York! Teach them that we are all endowed by our CREATOR with certain inalienable rights - life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness! Teach them about individual RESPONSIBILITY so that they won't expect someone else to pay for their children, their food, their roof, their medical care, their clothing, diapers, or milk! Teach them that they are AMERICANS! Not "African" Americans, "German" Americans, "Hispanic" Americans, or "Oriental" Americans! Teach them that America is UNIQUE and EXCEPTIONAL so that they won't feel the indoctrinated obsession to apologize for past shortcomings or sins when they visit foreign lands! DANA BEDDEN - Stop the Indoctrination! TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF OUR CHILDREN !!
Golly gee, what a great idea!!! Let's bring everyone together by emphasizing how different we are. Isn't assimilation great? Reagan was right. Government IS the problem.
Whatmistake: You are absolutely right! "Diversity" is an oxymoron for an anatomy class. The pentive elite are like the Biology teacher: Dissect the body to "celebrate" it's "diverse" nature. Funny thing, once the body has been dissected, it can't be put back together again!
Thank you RealStandupGuy, you saved me a lot of writing this morning. Diversity classes: Great! Now if the little kiddies could only spell diversity; or read it in a sentence and understand its meaning. Or even better, comprehend a complete sentence in which the word might be used. Then we could begin to have pride in our schools once more. But alas that day is not likely to materialize, leaving many of us to mourn what might have been.
political coprrectness run amuck....students can't read or write but they have to be taught about diversity.....THAT'S CROCK OF CRAP!!!!!!!