Pre-Schools Celebrate the Cultures of Belize

You may have seen them this morning, Belize’s littlest citizens dressed up for a special event at their school. It is part of Child Stimulation month which wraps up this week. Today News Five’s Paul Lopez stopped by one Belize City pre-school to see the children celebrating the diversity of Belize.

Paul Lopez, Reporting

Belize is often described as a melting pot of cultures and ethnicities. Children are taught from an early age that they live among people with varying skin colors, languages and way of life. This helps them to better understand the world they exist in. Here at the Bethany Baptist Preschool, Principal Karen Louis asked parents to send their kids to school dressed in cultural wear today.

Karen Louis, Principal, Bethany Baptist Preschool

Karen Louis

“Here at Bethany we have a diverse group of students. We have Garifuna. We have Creole. We have Mestizos. So, it is important that they can identify with themselves, and with their ethnicity.”

Principal Louis began today’s display with a demonstration on everything Garifuna, from the cultural clothing worn, to the language they speak, and even the food they consume on a daily basis. It is safe to say that the cassava bread, made from the cassava root vegetable, was a hit among most of the students.

Karen Louis

“Some of the things they can observe is the language for one. Most of them come to us talking either English or Creole. But, when we can say one or two words to them in Spanish, a sentence in Spanish, or even in Garifuna or in Maya, it makes them feel apart. It gives them some kind of belonging and who they really are and where they came from.”

And of course, Principal Louis gave her students a chance to immerse themselves in the lively music and dance of the Garifuna people, even though these children’s moves looked a lot more like playful hopping around, with the exception of this one child.  She was prepared to show off her punta skills.

Karen Louis

“Here we lay the foundation, so whatever we do here, what we did here this morning when they move on to primary school they are going to get the same thing just at a higher level. They will then be able to identify better because they had previous knowledge. So, when they go to primary school it will not be new material for them. we teach but we teach in a playful manner. When they interact, when they actually put their hands on and they get involved, it stays with them because they become a part of what we are doing.”

Paul Lopez reporting for News Five.