LYNN — At Shoemaker Elementary School on Thursday evening, families, students, and educators recently came together for a vibrant multicultural celebration that transformed the building into a space of storytelling, connection, and pride.

The event, held for the first time, was designed to highlight the diverse backgrounds of the school community while creating opportunities for families to engage with one another in meaningful ways.

“We basically envisioned a night where all of the families could come together and connect with the teachers, other families, community partners, and we were like, what better way than to do it with food,” Educator Shannon Monks explained.

That vision quickly expanded into an evening filled with performances, presentations, student work, and interactive activities.

One of the most meaningful elements of the night came from Grade 5 students, who created detailed posters representing their countries of origin.

Each project included a family recipe, a map showing exactly where their family is from, photographs, descriptions of landforms, and a short essay. These displays gave families a window into both the curriculum and students’ personal identities.

Educator Melissa McCarthy noted that the goal was to let families “come and see what we do at school, how we’re tying in their ethnicity and their background.”

Throughout the evening, the gym became a lively hub for dance performances and shared meals. The Lynn Classical High School Dance Team performed twice, bringing energy and cultural expression to the stage.

One of their featured pieces, “Del Mar al Río,” honored Afro-Cuban orichas, tracing a symbolic journey from Yemaya to Oshun, and highlighting themes of water, spirituality, and heritage.

The Cultura Latina Dance Company followed with another dynamic performance that further celebrated Latin cultural traditions. Nearby, the cafeteria featured community partners and a wide range of food, much of it donated by local restaurants and families.

“We got a lot of partners…, all these restaurants donated food… and they’re all in the city or in the vicinity,” McCarthy said. Even with a sign-up system in place, the amount of food exceeded expectations.

“We didn’t expect as many families to bring as much food as they did…30, 40 families brought food tonight,” she added.

Beyond food and performances, the event offered a wide range of interactive and educational experiences.

Speech and language presentations gave students the chance to share and answer questions, while “Living in Two Worlds” presentations by Lynn English High School students explored personal stories of immigration, identity, and adaptation.

These stories reflected experiences of navigating between cultures, balancing life in the United States with strong ties to family histories abroad.

Other spaces encouraged creativity and participation. Families could make paper dolls and red lanterns, receive henna tattoos, decorate sugar skulls, and take photos together at a photo booth.

A multicultural read-aloud brought families together to listen to “Mami’s Coquí Song” by School Committee member Brenda Ortiz McGrath, a bilingual book McGrath wrote celebrating Puerto Rican culture.

“She came, and she read to the students, and it was really great,” McCarthy shared, highlighting how meaningful it was for students to hear a story in both English and Spanish.

The event was supported by strong community collaboration. School staff worked closely with local partners, including organizations like Northeast Arc, Rock The Spectrum Foundation, and the Lynn Disability Network, that support students with autism, ensuring that the celebration was welcoming to all.

A sensory space, created in partnership with Lynn Disability Network, offered a quieter environment for students who needed it. The room featured an inflatable house and calming activities.

Children were also given “passports” at the start of the event, collecting stamps as they visited different activities and earning a prize at the end, an idea that made the experience both interactive and memorable.

In the hallways, an interactive map allowed families to connect their heritage to locations around the world, visually representing the diversity within the school.

Many students and parents also wore traditional clothing, adding another layer of cultural pride to the evening. “Some of the kids have on clothing from their country or culture, which is nice to see,” Monks noted.

Although it was the first time hosting such an event, the turnout exceeded expectations.

“There are a few kinks… we didn’t anticipate as many people coming,” Monks stated, but they also saw it as a clear success.

More than anything, the night achieved its central goal: bringing people together. Families shared food, stories, and traditions while building connections across cultures.

“We really just wanted to… have families communicate,” Monks said.

With such a strong and enthusiastic response, Shoemaker Elementary’s multicultural night has set the stage for what will likely become a lasting tradition, one that celebrates identity, community, and the power of coming together.

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