CAIRNSHILL Integrated Primary School has marked the completion of its first educational year of Integrated status by holding a Culture Day to celebrate the rich diversity of pupils and families across its school community.
As part of the celebrations, the school unveiled a new mural in the main playground, created by Gabriela Crean, an artist and educator from the Dominican Republic, who moved to Northern Ireland in 2020 with her husband and child to be closer to family. The mural was commissioned to celebrate the rich diversity of Cairnshill Integrated Primary School and highlight its vibrant, multicultural and integrated community.
Culture Day provided pupils with the opportunity to explore a variety of countries and cultures. The children learned about different customs, languages and music and parents shared insights about their heritage and spoke to classes about their countries of origin. Pupils wore traditional clothing, sampled cultural food and enjoyed displays and performances that showcased singing and dancing from across the school community. They also had the chance to learn how to sign their name at the Sign Language and Deaf Culture stand.
Joanne Currie MBE, Principal of Cairnshill Integrated Primary School said: “We pride ourselves on the diversity of cultures within our school community. This year we have children from 10 different ethnicities, with around 31 languages other than English being spoken at home. We have children whose families originate from every continent of the globe – Africa, Asia, Oceania, North America, South America as well as from countries throughout Europe.
“We believe that each child plays an important role in our school, bringing their own uniqueness and cultural diversity, which adds to the fabric of our school. Culture Day was a special event dedicated to celebrating the diverse cultural backgrounds of our school community as well as marking the completion of our first educational year of Integrated status. It was an opportunity for us to reinforce what the children learn throughout their time at Cairnshill Integrated Primary School including the importance of inclusion, respect, cultural awareness, celebrating diversity and building confidence and pride.”
