Families traveled across Oceania and even to the Northern Pole all without ever stepping outside of East Midvale Elementary.

The adventure was part of the school’s annual Living Traditions Night, an event where each grade level explores different countries and cultures, then shares what they learned with the school community. This year, supplied with paper passports, families made their way through stations featuring the Marshall Islands, Tonga and Samoa, Finland, Sweden and Greenland.

At every destination, visitors read student-researched displayed filled with facts and pictures, recording key details in their passports along with way. 

Families also sampled a variety of international foods including Swedish meatballs, ginger snaps, dried coconut, mango pineapple ‘otai, rye bread and lingonberry jelly, dried meat jerky and pani popo (coconut buns).

The celebration continued in the multipurpose room, where music and dance performances brought culture to life.

“Special guests entertained and taught us with Tongan drums and dances that tell stories with hand, feet and body movements,” said Shelley McCall, community school facilitator and Living Traditions organizer. 

Principal Amy Sandgren said the event was meaningful for families and staff alike.

“It was incredible to see all of the families come together with our faculty and celebrate culture,” she said. “We had such a good turnout. We had families even come from our new boundary change (that will occur next school year). We personally called each one to invite them so they could get a feel of who we are and about our school. We’re trying to bridge the gap that boundaries can cause.”

Student artwork also was showcased with displays featuring kindergartners’ Dala horses from Sweden, first-graders’ sea life in the Marshall Islands, second-graders Tongan fans, third-graders’ aurora borealis chalkings, fourth-graders’ depictions of ice castles in Greenland and fifth-graders’ Samoan tataus or the traditional art of tattooing, symbolizing identity, lineage and personal life stories.

For McCall, the event highlights the diversity already present in the school community.

“Our school has a lot of cultures, languages; they’re from so many places,” she said. “It’s fun when we focus on East Midvale countries because the kids are proud of their culture and like sharing it and telling people about it.”