November 3, 2006

Evergreen Montessori School celebrates Indian culture

School aims to teach students about the various cultures
represented in Evergreen and the world

By Jeff Frazee
Times Staff

Thursday, Oct. 19 marked the culmination of a month-long study of the country of India for the students of the Evergreen Montessori School. In turn, the students and teachers held a celebration of Indian culture at the school.

Brothers Ameya and Ojas Deshpande were guest musicians at Evergreen Montessori School’s celebration of India. Ameya is in seventh grade and plays the tabla while his younger brother, second-grader, Ojas plays the sitar. Photos by Jeff Frazee

The day’s festivities included many hand-on experiences, including Mehndi body art and sitar music.

School director Sunita Prakash said, “The children tasted traditional Indian cuisine, dressed up in the Indian clothes both modern and traditional, made colorful patterns on the floor called Rangoli, and decorated the clay pots.”

Prakash’s philosophy of education explains why this kind of celebration is vital to teaching children about other cultures.

She said, “The child absorbs the world, and learns by doing. Each child experiences sensitive periods of intense fascination with particular concepts and skills. We acknowledge these critical learning periods in early childhood and their impact on the development of social, emotional, intellectual, physical, and moral competencies.”

The children also attended musical performances by some of the parents in the school.

Prakash said, “It was amazing to see how quickly the children could sing basic Indian classical notes - sa, ray, ga ma, pa - which are equivalents of do, re, mi.”

Children wait outside before they paint traditional designs on the concrete.

The Evergreen Montessori School was founded in 1982, and today has seven full-time teachers working with 56 children from 2 ½-years-old through preschool. Though classes are conducted in English, the teachers want to begin the process of building an increased understanding and appreciation of all the diversity Evergreen offers. As the need arises, teachers communicate in Hindi, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

This was the first cultural celebration at Evergreen Montessori School, and they will be studying other cultures throughout the school year, according to Prakash.

“They are exposed to the universal basic needs of food, shelter, clothing and arts,” said Prakash. “When children are exposed to authentic materials from any given culture, they enjoy and understand our world a little more. These programs will help in developing an understanding and an appreciation of other cultures driving home the point that basic needs are universal and there are different ways to meet these needs.”