Yokota Elementary School takes students around the Pacific in one day

  • Published
  • By Airman John D. Partlow
  • 374 Airlift Wing Public Affairs
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan --  Since many students in Yokota's Elementary School come from diverse backgrounds, it's important for the students to learn about the different Pacific cultures in order to better interact with one another.

On May 5, the Yokota Elementary School hosted the Asian-Pacific American Heritage celebration to educate students on the different cultures in the Pacific.

The school has celebrated the different cultures for the past two years by participating in different activities.

Volunteers and members of the school staff showed the children Japanese calligraphy, African and South American dances, fashions from several countries and also demonstrated how to cook yakisoba, a Japanese dish. All of these activities informed the children about many diverse cultures in the Asian-Pacific region of the world.

"We raise our kids everyday to be global citizens," said Sebastien Laroche, the school's guidance counselor. "They're going to be the future leaders of our community, so it is important for them to understand what it's like to be a part of a different culture."

Since many members of Yokota come from different backgrounds, learning about cultural differences is vital for their children.

"Experiencing other cultures is part of the children's learning," said Lily Bagtas, the school nurse and the cultural day coordinator. "Diversity in other cultures is very important to teach the kids."

While the students participated in activities, teachers expressed enjoyment in seeing their students learn and have fun.

"Today was great," said Mr. Laroche. "It's always great to see the kids running around and learning."

The message of the Asian-Pacific American heritage celebration was how different people can be from one another and how understanding a culture can directly affect understanding a person from that culture. At Yokota Elementary School, students can be sure they will experience the culture day.

"We always make sure they have this experience at least once a year," said Bagtas. "Learning about other cultures is too important not to teach."