Local School Kids Learn about Jamaica at Eastern
Willimantic, CT (04/07/2017) — Reggae music filled the air and the colors of black, green and yellow adorned the Student Center on April 3 as hundreds of local schoolchildren converged on the Eastern Connecticut State University campus to learn about Jamaica. Approximately 300 children from Windham's five elementary schools and Barrows STEM Academy came to Eastern for the ninth annual Arts and Culture Day, organized by the Center for Community Engagement (CCE).
The fun-filled afternoon offered a variety of Jamaica-inspired activities, including face painting, necklace making and mask making. In the lawn outside the Student Center, the children played soccer. For snacks, they ate Jamaican beef and chicken patties from Scott's Bakery in Hartford. They learned traditional dance and even played dominoes, a popular game in Jamaican culture.
The CCE's Arts and Culture Day annually focuses on the history, food, art and life of a particular country or region. Past events have engaged local school children in learning about Ireland, Russia, Puerto Rico, Africa and Mexico.
Approximately 50 Eastern students volunteered to make this event possible. "We're just trying to get the kids involved with the local university and learning about different cultures at a young age," said Rebecca Russell '16, a recent graduate and former CCE volunteer who came to campus on her day off from work.
Media Attachments
Eastern Connecticut State University
Edward Osborn; (860) 465-5043, osborne@easternct.eduShare this Story
Recent News
- Twin roles solidify Eastern professor as a leading regional historian
- SATURDAY: Eastern baseball field to be named in honor of hall-of-fame Coach Bill Holowaty
- Eastern baseball field to be named in honor of hall-of-fame Coach Bill Holowaty
- History Professor earns Eastern's only 2025 CSCU Faculty Award
- Psychologist named Eastern's Distinguished Professor of the Year
- Eastern student from Stratford curates exhibition on her artist-grandfather
- William Tong receives Eastern's first Distinguished Public Service Award
- Eastern Art Gallery presents: 'Tom Gargiulo: The Art Father and Connecticut Modernist'
- Eastern's 'The College Tour' episode premieres on Amazon Prime Video
- Eastern's Graduate Division confers 100 master's degrees