Many cultural dances were showcased, including but not limited to Indigenous, Irish, and South African

By Tommy Osborne

Multicultural Celebration

Prince George’s multiculturalism celebrated at Quinson Elementary School

May 24, 2024 | 5:26 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – Prince George, much like the rest of Canada, has grown to become increasingly diverse and multicultural, and to celebrate that Quinson Elementary School celebrated its multicultural day today (May 24).

“(The day) was really amazing for our students to go around and see the differences, the diversity, but also at the same time how we are so connected, because they were able to make a comparison of some of the countries that they saw,” said Quinson Elementary Teacher and Multicultural Day Organizer Donya Smith-Powell.

Booths were set up all across the school featuring various cultural items like toys, books, art, and more, and many dances and songs were also featured to celebrate the day.

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“They (kids) have this ingrained in them, and it’s really a point of pride, I think, for them to be able to share their perspectives and their background and hopefully have their families come also and see that they’re being celebrated and learned about within schools,” said School District 57 (SD57) Superintendent Jameel Aziz.

For newcomers moving to Prince George, it could be a bit of a challenge initially to adjust to life outside of your home country. Aziz hopes events like this can play a role in making young students and families feel welcome and respected in our community.

“I’m a citizen now, but I came to Canada as an immigrant as well as a young person. And you want to have a sense that this community respects you, that they are interested in you, and that they have a place for you, and I think that this kind of event really does that for our students and their families,” he said.

While students and staff definitely had fun enjoying the wide variety of cultures displayed, Smith-Powell explained the day is also a fantastic opportunity to educate young students on the importance of diversity and learning to respect, understand, and ultimately celebrate our differences. Explaining that one of SD57’s priorities is celebrating diversity and educating students on diversity, she says fun events like this can be a great showcase and offer another way of learning outside of the traditional classroom setting.

“I strongly believe that when persons don’t know, that’s when you have a lot of the negative. And so the positive side of it is sharing your your knowledge, sharing your history, and embracing that, and knowing that this is part of who I am,” she said.

Smith-Powell says diversity and celebrating inclusion is a year round effort, not just a single day of celebration. Among other initiatives, Powell explained the school applied for a “raise the reader” grant to include books that reflect a wide variety of students and their backgrounds, as well as teaching about various musical styles across the world in music class.

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