After months of preparation from Cobb County School District (CCSD) faculty, staff and students, NC hosted its annual International Extravaganza March 21, 2024. Combining elements of photo galleries, visual presentations and musical performances, CCSD elementary and middle schools embraced and enlightened visitors about cultures throughout the world.
Coordinated and planned by Stephanie Sommer, AU Bridge teacher at Awtrey Middle School, and emceed by the beloved Awtrey Middle School eighth-grade science teacher Therome James, the International Extravaganza kicked off at 5 p.m. With tables of presentations lined throughout the cafeteria, the guests enjoyed music, food and information about cultures worldwide.
“My partner, Olive, is Vietnamese. Her grandma actually moved there when she was 19 after she met her grandfather in the Vietnam War. We just wanted to represent Vietnam. [My favorite part about this day] was the people who actually wanted to talk and learn about Vietnam,” Awtrey Middle School seventh-grader Sydney Barr said.
From displaying Greece to Haiti, the middle school presenters from Awtrey Middle School, Palmer Middle School and Barber Middle School received the opportunity to learn about an unfamiliar culture or speak proudly about their own.
The presenters who represented their own cultures dressed in their cultural wear, including Kimonos, waist beads, tribal jewelry and Ankara dresses. Furthermore, they shared homemade food such as coxinha and pikliz. Those who did not present their own cultures still learned about and shared the food and music of the culture of their choice.
“ I chose Greece because I wanted to pick somewhere that was really interesting, and that nobody else was going to pick. Now that we have picked it, I know that it’s really interesting and somewhere that I want to visit if I ever could go somewhere because it is very beautiful. I learned about how there is no part of Greece more than 137 kilometers away from the ocean. My favorite part about this event so far was the food, my favorite dish was the food from Thailand,” Barber Middle School sixth grader Ellayana Mullen said
Guests who attended the International Extravaganza received a “passport,” in which they would receive stickers of all the countries they visited and learned about. Once the attendee received 10 stickers, he or she could enter into a raffle to win gift cards. As the emcee, James called the names of the winners the kids were ecstatic and ran to claim their gift cards and NCHS swag.
While the guests in the cafeteria tried cultural foods and learned about the histories of countries around the globe, the Performing Arts Center(PAC) held various performances from elementary school students. Students sang songs in English, Spanish, Thai and Swahili, honoring the diverse student body of the chorus students at McCall Primary, Acworth Elementary, Kennesaw Elementary, Big Shanty Intermediate and Baker Elementary. The Chant would like to give a special thank you to theater teacher Candice Corocan for ensuring smooth sailing of the PAC performances!
Ultimately, as the CCSD attempts to prepare students as global citizens, events such as the International Extravaganza remain essential in their journey. Furthermore, this event modeled NC’s magnet program’s focus on International Studies, and of course, inspiring excellence.
The Chant would like to thank all magnet volunteers, magnet coordinator James Auld, emcee Therome James, parents and translators Meshack Amani and Thassanee Wells and everyone who helped put together NC’s 2024 International Extravaganza.
