Multicultural Day Script

Procession of Nations: Call out the name of each country as the class and flag appear in the doorway. List attached. Welcome: Welcome everyone to Whitaker's Multicultural Day Assembly. We have lots of exciting acts planned for you today from around the world. This morning we will travel to the Emerald Isle of Bonny Ireland in Europe, to the coastal country of Guinea in Western Africa. We will journey to the Central American Country of Mexico and cross the seas again to the Asian country of Korea. Then head west to India and its Middle Eastern neighbors. Please put your trays and seats in the upright position, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a fast-paced trip around the world. To start things off, let's stand and recognize the wonderful country in which we live, the good ol' US of A by saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Irish Dance intro: The first trip of the morning is a quick jaunt across the Atlantic Ocean. The first performers of the morning have just entered their busiest month of the year. With St. Patrick's Day around the corner, the dancers of Rince na h'Eireann (pronounced Reenka nu Erin) School of Irish Dance are in high demand! Irish Dancing has been around for centuries. Way back in the 18th Century, when royalty arrived in Ireland, they were greeted by native dancers. One account from 1780 recalls, When King James landed at Kinsale, County Cork, . . . he was welcomed by dancers. Three people stood abreast, each holding ends of a white handkerchief. They advanced to slow music and were followed by dancing couples, each couple holding a handkerchief between them. The tempo of the music increased and the dancers performed a variety of lively figures. Let's now give a great big Whitaker welcome to Rince na h'Eireann! Drumming Ensemble intro: Fasten your seatbelts again, boys and girls as our we fly south to the country of Guinea in Western Africa. Our next performers are 6th and 7th graders from Paisley IB Magnet School. These students form the Paisley IB Magnet West African Drumming Ensemble. The ensemble travels throughout the region delivering both public and school performances and collaborating with other artists such as those at UNC School of the Arts. The Drumming Ensemble is under the direction of the Paisley Band Director, Mr. Colin Tribby. Please give it up for the Paisley IB Magnet West African Drumming Ensemble!

West African Dance Intro: You don't need to buckle up for our next performer. We will be remaining in West Africa and learning some moves to go along with those cool drumbeats. Ms. Jerilyn Baker is next on our stage. She will be performing traditional West African Dances and teaching us how to dance to this drumbeat, too! Mexican Dancer Intro: The pilot has now turned on the fasten your seat belt light and all passengers are asked to return to their seats! As we fly back across the Atlantic Ocean to our neighbor to the south Mexico. Please welcome fellow elementary school students from Greensboro, NC. These students and their mothers will be performing Mexican dances. Tiger Kim's Intro: Now let's travel east again. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path". Thus,taekwondomay be loosely translated as "the way of the hand and the foot." But be sure not to get in the way of the hands or feet of our nexts guests from Tiger Kim's as they present a Tae Kwon Do demonstration. Seven Seas Intro: Next we travel south and west to the land of the Seven Seas. But what are the seven seas? The Arabs and their neighbors considered the Seven Seas to be the seas that they encountered in their voyages to The East. The trading routes which have been used since the time of the Prophet Mohammed include the places where Islam spread and is widely practiced today, including India, Turkey and the Balkan Countries. For this trip, we will need to change planes. The rest of today's assembly will take place in the bus parking lot. Please quietly listen for instructions so we can move all of our students quickly for this final performance.