Grade 4 Students Host Heritage Food and Art Show

The smell of delicious and diverse cuisines filled the air as fourth-grade students welcomed their families to the Dining Hall for the Heritage Food and Art Show as the culminating cross-curricular event for the classes’ Immigration Unit. 

With guidance from teachers Emily Schimelman 2002 and Taylor DePalma, the students began the morning sharing a personal narrative reflection on their family roots noting what countries make up their heritage and what new and interesting facts they learned about immigration while studying in class. The students said they really enjoyed learning about Ellis Island and the Irish Potato Famine. 

The showcase incorporated language arts, history/social studies, and visual arts along with a culinary feast. As the presentation concluded, the students and families were welcome to travel through the dining hall to try all the different cuisines. The tables were filled with a variety of foods and desserts including saffron rice pudding from Iran, rugelach from Poland, onigiri from Japan, Šakotis from Lithuania, challah bread, caprese salad, knot cookies, and more.

For the art show portion, the students designed personal profile paintings using the outline of their silhouette on a canvas under the guidance of art teacher Sue Bennett 1973. Using paint and markers, the students filled the drawings with images, symbols, and other visualizations related to their family heritage. The students also created posters on how our world is a salad bowl full of different cultures, food, music, languages, and family stories. 

“Hosting a cultural food festival allows students the opportunity to share their family heritage with their fellow classmates,” said Mrs. Schimelman. “It is important to celebrate what makes each person and family unique. The students really enjoyed the Immigration Unit and dove deep into research, which is evident in their presentations and art projects.”