A Peek Inside the Multi-cultural Celebration Through the Clovis, California Even Start Program
Nine such presentations stand proudly in the room, with music from each country and the jingling of authentic costumes filling the air. This is the Clovis, California Even Start Program’s Spring Multi-Cultural Celebration.
Friday, April 7 was a busy day for the Parent Advisory Group, a branch of the Even Start Program through Clovis Unified. From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m., a small room at the Clovis Adult Education Center was packed with 35 people listening to the proud presenters give heartfelt speeches in broken, yet well-spoken English about their native lands.
Melanie Franz, Parent Educator for the Clovis, California Even Start Program, coached parents through the rehearsed presentations as they spewed little-known facts about the countries they once called home. Thailand is approximately the size of Texas and its king was born in Boston, Massachusetts. Mexico City is one of the largest cities in the world. Palestine endures constant turmoil and war.
The countries represented in the Clovis, California Even Start Spring Multi-Cultural Celebration included: Bolivia, China, Columbia, Iran, Laos, Mexico, Israel, Thailand and, of course, America. Several of the countries had a single woman representing her country of origin. Others, such as China, had four; Mexico had 15. Dozens of small props including dolls, vases, plates, flags and colorful textiles surrounded each board, giving even more of a glimpse into the uniqueness of every country involved in the celebration.
Alexandra Sandoval and Patricia Chaires are very proud of where they’ve come from and of where they are today. They showed off their posterboard creation with the words “MEXICO” adorning the front written in red, silver and green glitter. Sandoval & Chaires are part of the Clovis, California Even Start Parent Advisory Group. “(This celebration) is a way to give of myself. In this world, I’m not the only person. God made everyone differently,” said Chaires.
“We are made up of parents in our program who meet on a bi-monthly basis to discuss needs, ideas, and problems of the program,” said Franz. Franz facilitates the group and helps in identifying problems within the household and cultivating solutions to the problems. The majority of parents in the group are from different cultures and English is their second language.
“At one of our meetings we began to kick around the idea of a big event celebrating all our ethnicity,” said Franz. She continued, “We have parents in the program representing nine countries and thought it would be great to really make it a big event.”
And a big event it was. Forty plus people were involved in the preparation for the Clovis, California Even Start Spring Multi-Cultural Celebration. Invitations were sent out to all ESL teachers, administrators and some support staff and hand delivered to each. Previous years have seen a comparatively small event, in the form of a potluck, but this is the first year the Even Start Program chose to celebrate each culture in such a grand scale.
“In the program there are eight or nine ethnic groups,” said Sandoval. “We want to know about every culture and ethnic group-more than just the surface, because we all participate together,” she said.
The appearance of communal participation was evident across the hallway in the Clovis, California Even Start preschool just minutes after the presentation ended. Wafting through the room were the sights and smells of morsels from each of the nine lands, authentic food prepared by women who used to live abroad and now call America home. Ladies, still dressed in ethnic garb, hustled to get their cuisine out to each of the tables and, along with their children, indulged in the potluck feast.
Joy Petz, from Thailand, looked radiant in her shiny peacock-blue top and long, slim, blue/gold patterned skirt. The pride she showed in her country of origin was obvious. “Everything is new and interesting to me,” she said as she sampled a variety of dishes such as curry chicken, sopas and stuffed grape leaves.
The Clovis, California Even Start preschool children squealed in delight at the eggs they had just discovered at their annual easter egg hunt, which took place during their parents’ presentations. They put their carved bunny-shaped milk carton Easter baskets aside just long enough for a bite to eat with their mothers, followed by a truly American-style piece of white cake with loads of butter cream frosting.
Chaires is passionate about the Multi-Cultural Celebration, and it shows in her voice. “Even though we all live in the same world, we all live differently. That’s what makes us all unique,” she said. The Parent Advisory Group gives Chaires and other members the opportunity to see the similarities they all possess, despite their differences.
Interestingly, within each of the different authentic “Multi-Cultural Celebration” compilation of values, beliefs and cultures lies a common thread. The posterboard presentations, the Easter egg hunt and the potluck-each of these traditions is undeniablyâÂ?¦ American.
