Celebrating Diversity with the International Knights Festival
Being aware of the diversity in the people around you and embracing its presence is essential in developing strong character and establishing a welcoming environment. ACP Erie’s ability to incorporate this philosophy into our community is what makes our school a place of opportunity and success. Our campus is thriving with people who hold unique experiences and lifestyles, their identities shaped by the values they choose to adopt. This is why the International Knights Week and International Knights Festival was founded.
We first started the ACP International Knights Week and Festival in the previous school year, where we had a week of celebrating cultures from different continents and ended with a school festival in which students and their families were able to experience a taste of traditional foods and practices from many different countries. I was incredibly proud of how this event turned out last year, and would love to announce that we will be holding the ACP International Knights Week and Festival once again.
To find out more about this year’s event, I interviewed Miss Lindstrom, who is one of the coordinators for the Knights Week and Festival:
Q: Can you explain what the ACP International Festival is?
A: The ACP International Knights Week & Festival (April 8 – 12, 2019) is a week-long educational celebration of the diversity that makes up the ACP community. It will be held from April 8th to April 12th. The week will begin with an all-school assembly to introduce the week’s events and will culminate on Friday night with a festival from 5-8 p.m. The festival is an educational and entertaining global experience to offer attendees the chance to “travel” to different countries, continents, cultures, as well as taste different foods, play games, and learn about different traditions and customs.
Q: What is the purpose of having this event at ACP?
A: Our purpose is to create an environment that accepts and celebrates our diverse population and allows all students to “strive for the impossible and be extraordinary” (as the school motto says). In promoting the idea that all students can “strive for the impossible and be extraordinary,” the students themselves are creating a culture of unity through diversity, of kindness toward others, and of mindfulness in all they do.
Q: Do you think the ACP International Festival will have an impact on our school legacy?
A: The International Knights Festival has already had a tremendous impact on the school’s legacy after its inauguration last year. The legacy of the openness, kindness, acceptance, and celebration will continue this year with greater anticipation from students and families.
Q: What are you planning on doing that is different from the festival last year?
A: The biggest difference this year will be that instead of learning about different continents each day of the week, the daily lessons and activities will focus around various themes like fashion, art, languages, wildlife, and music. We will also have some class decoration activities. Details of the week will be given during the assembly and the week before.
Q: What do you hope students and families will take from this festival?
A: As has been repeated, we hope that the students and families will take away the enjoyment of celebrating their own cultures and other cultures and have fun.
Last year’s event was memorable and educational, and I found myself connecting with cultures I was previously unfamiliar with. We anticipate what this school year’s International Knights Week and Festival will have to offer and encourage everyone to participate in a week of celebrating diversity, kindness, and acceptance.
