Elementary Students Celebrate Korea and Culture
At YISS, some of our students were born in Korea, some have lived in Korea for many years and feel quite settled, and others have just arrived. No matter what circumstances our students come from, Korea is currently home to us all. During the last week of April, elementary students donned their best Korea-inspired garb and enjoyed a myriad of activities to help them discover more about what makes “our country” a true delight.
Travel prohibitions caused our Celebrate Korea activities to look different this year than they have in the past. Fully on campus this year, YISS students were able to experience Korean culture through new experiences and were encouraged to explore different ideas and perspectives. We hope this exposure to Korean culture positively impacts how they view the people with whom they interact each day and the culture in which they live.
Kindergarteners were introduced to Korean foods and had the opportunity to make kimbap in the cafeteria with a small group of parent volunteers, their teachers, and even ES administrative staff! Some of the kimbap looked professionally made while others looked more “creative,” but it was all delicious. While originally intended to be packed up and taken home to share with family, many of the rolls didn’t make it out of the cafeteria!
First and second graders hosted a team of educators and craftsmen from the Korean National Museum in the MPR2. They were treated to a quick slideshow presentation about pottery throughout history, and then each student was given a mug and materials to create their own artwork. The Museum team took all of the work samples with them, fired them in the kiln, and returned them to the students, properly and professionally glazed and with silicone travel lids for their everyday use.
Third, fourth, and fifth graders were the witnesses to a spectacle of organized chaos in the form of an awesome Taekwondo presentation, hosted by Master Kim and his students from Kyunghee University. Students were enthralled as the athletes jumped, spun, flipped, and shattered boards on the stage in the auditorium and outside in the courtyard. Besides the memories they take with them and pictures that were taken, each student also got to keep an authentic “busted board” from the show, complete with dojo markings!
The Celebrate Korea activities are great opportunities for students to develop a deeper global awareness and understand a part of Korean culture better, which is important for all students, no matter their backgrounds. We are blessed each year to learn more about Korea, and this year’s activities are certainly ones to remember and celebrate!