Waukee Prairieview Students Participate in Culture Fair for Discovering Languages Month


On Thursday, Feb. 23, Waukee Prairieview students participated in a Culture Fair in honor of Discovering Languages month.

Throughout the day, students shared elements from their culture or a culture that they have learned about. Some of the projects included How to Eat with Chopsticks, Learning French songs, Mexican Celebrations, Brazilian Food, Bangladesh, Turkey, Japan, Chinese Astrology, German Braiding Techniques, origami, Flamenco Dancing and more.

Eighth graders Alejandra Ontiveros Corte, Cody Tippetts and Jennifer Ray, conducted their project on Mexican Celebrations. The team displayed colorful flowers, games and information on Mexican festivities.

“Discovering different cultures is important because every person is different, and learning about our classmate’s cultures brings us together and makes it easier to understand each other,” said Corte.

Many students brought in personal artifacts to share with their classmates such as jerseys, flags, clothing, foods, books and more.

Freshman Jazmin Terrell did her project on Chinese Astrology. She shared information on Chinese horoscopes, the Chinese new year and could even tell other students their Chinese zodiac signs.

“Learning about cultures other than our own makes us feel more connected to each other and the rest of the world, and I am excited to be able to share a piece of Chinese culture with my classmates that might not know a lot about it,” said Terrell.

Eagerly, the students went from station to station learning about many different languages, cultures and traditions.

“In the world language class, we teach as much culture as language,” said World Languages teacher, Kerisa Baedke. “To understand people and to communicate with them, you need more than words. You need to understand who they are and what they value.”

Discovering Languages Month encourages teachers and students learn about a different country or culture.

“This learning not only teaches our students something new, but it allows them to feel connected and gain an understanding of students who celebrate these unique cultures and traditions right here in Waukee,” said Baedke.