Mabry Middle School, a sweet little school nestled in the Lassiter School District, recently celebrated its annual “International Night.” The common perception of East Cobb schools is that they are primarily attended by white, middle class students. But if you attended Mabry’s International Night, you would have discovered that it is a school rich in diversity, proud of and excited to share its wide religious and cultural differences and consequently, help to raise children who are tolerant of others. It is only with the hard work and dedication of the 8th grade foreign language teachers, the 7th grade teachers, Mabry administration, the PTSA Diversity Committee and Lassiter High School student volunteers and committed parents, that they were able to celebrate the wide-ranging diversity that Mabry MS enjoys.
All 7th grade reading classes are required to participate in this activity. In December, students form small groups and pick a country to do an in-depth study on, which is usually a country that one member of the group identifies with culturally or has lived in. Because this is a six-week study/project, the reading, social studies and language arts teachers all work together to build their curriculums around this event, which consequently allows students to really absorb and learn the lessons of world geography, cultural diversity and humanities. In February, the culmination of their hard work is showcased during a “Tour of Countries” at International Night. This Tour consists of student researched and designed tables that are filled with detailed and fun facts as well as traditional items and food samples from said country.
The week of International Night begins with a school wide assembly showcasing a traditional musical performance or dance from a non-U.S. country. The students have daily opportunities to win international themed prizes based on their correctly answering the “Question of the Day,” said questions being focused on world facts and prepared by Mabry’s student Diversity Club. This activity is a fun way to get students and staff excited about the big event. Internationally themed music is also played in the skylight, highlighting the diverse and rich musical talent from around the world. The evening of International Night, the Mabry PTSA provides an international-themed buffet for approximately 650 members of our community (this year’s buffet was a mixture of Chinese, Mexican, American and Peruvian), who then invite approximately 800 Mabry tourists to take the “Tour of Countries”. This year Mabry enjoyed over 60 student tables and 15 family tables representing over 60 countries that were as diverse and far-flung as Scotland, Haiti, Russia, Braille, Poland, and Ethiopia and welcomed over 1,500 tourists.
The combination of teachers, students, administration, community and PTSA is necessary to make International Night a success. It is a great Mabry event that requires the participation of the entire Mabry Middle School family and is a great tool that integrates so many different learning opportunities and PTA Family-School Standards for the Mabry students and community. It is an excellent example of how the collaboration of the entire community can create an event that serves as a great learning tool for students, parents and educators alike.
This article was written by Tammy Andress, Lassiter HS PTSA President, and originally appeared in our April issue of EAST COBBER, on page 8. Click here to view the digital edition.
