Globalization, international this and international that may mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but on Friday night it meant a night of socializing with friends at Wolftrap Elementary School. The school hosted its first ever World Heritage Night, inviting students and their families to showcase the many cultures that are a part of Wolftrap’s everyday life.
"We did this to promote understanding between people and gain appreciation of other places," said Joanne Stefanick, the PTA chairperson and one of the event organizers. More than 25 countries were represented at the event with displays featuring traditional dress and foods of those cultures.
As someone who lived in Sweden for years, Kim Scott said she decided to exhibit the variety of things Sweden has to offer. Scott’s display featured pictures and descriptions of different Swedish regions, a Pippi Longstocking book, reindeer and the ice hotel. Kim’s daughter Elsa, a first grader at Wolftrap, said her favorite thing about Sweden is the ice hotel. "They make it new every year," she said.
The DeClerk family showcased Norway. Gro DeClerk said she picked items that would interest both the children and the grownups that came to visit the display. She was impressed with the entire event. "It is educational for the kids to see all the cultures," said DeClerk. Her son Andre, a student at Wolftrap, said trolls represented his favorite part of the Norwegian culture.
DISPLAYS FROM the Middle East and Africa were featured just down the hall from the European room. Jocelyn Hsu, who assisted with the displays from Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Qatar and other Middle Eastern nations, said the event was encouraging, because it proved there is still appreciation for other cultures. Hsu lived in the Middle East for nine years, but her children — one of whom is a first grader at Wolftrap — ran from room to room dressed in traditional Chinese costumes.
Panthea Mohtasham helped represent the Iranian culture at the event. Her display included poetry and art from the country, while she wrote other people’s names in Persian language.
Friend Andrea McCarthy, whose husband is Iranian, said the true benefit of World Heritage Night was that it was an opportunity for children from Vienna to be exposed to cultures of their friends from far away places. "We want to expand their understanding. Kids from one country aren’t too different from kids from another country," said McCarthy.
FOURTH GRADER Isaac Ahn, from Korea, was excited to learn about all of the cultures present at Wolftrap. "It’s pretty neat. You get to learn a lot of things and see many other cultures that you’ve never seen before in your life," said Ahn. The Korean display featured traditional dress and a variety of foods from the land.
Tricia Rizo displayed Micronesia, a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Rizo worked with teachers and students in Micronesia over the years, and learned a lot about the area and its cultures. She has a kindergartner at Wolftrap, Matthew Capuano-Rizo, and said she loved the opportunity to share Micronesian culture with students at the school. "I’m just excited to be a part of this," she said. "It’s important to expose the children to as many cultures as possible."
The evening also featured an international fashion show, and the children had an opportunity to learn dances from a variety of countries. A famed international soccer coach, and a Vienna resident for the last 24 years, Alkis Panagoulias said an event like the one held at Wolftrap on Friday would likely not happen in his native Greece. "Only in America my friend," said Panagoulias, whose seven-year-old granddaughter attends the school.