Students will “travel worldwide” with their passports at Crestwood Elementary School as they traverse the gymnasium to celebrate the cultures and countries of its English Language Learners, during the school’s second annual Multicultural Celebration at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, May 16.

In addition, the school will host a Family Cultural Night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on Monday, featuring storytelling, crafts, dancing, informational booths, and fun for the whole family, according to a school district news release.

Beth Bridwell teaches ELL to elementary school students at Lindbergh. At Crestwood, she works with students representing 16 nationalities, including Korea, China, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Russia, El Salvador and Somalia. All of these students speak languages other than English at home.

During Monday’s daytime event, students will stamp their passports at food, game, and craft stations in the gym, representing all 16 countries.

“Celebrating all the different cultures at our school is by far our top goal,” Bridwell stated. “School can be really difficult for students who do not speak any English. We want other kids to embrace and accept them, and I hope this will help with that.”