Madeline Corderman

Pipkin Middle School is an International Baccalaureate World School in Springfield, Missouri with a mission of developing leadership skills in their students. The World Family Night event aims to prepare Pipkin students by providing an opportunity to learn about countries around the world and develop their cultural awareness through their presentations. Additional groups from the Springfield community were invited for performances, such as the Central High School Kilties and the American Indian Center of Springfield.

Students from the English Language Institute were among those invited to participate in the festivities. Each display had a flag of the country they were representing, some had informative poster boards about popular culture, and other students shared traditional clothing and accessories. Families would visit each table and listen to a short presentation about the country. Then, they could ask questions. Students would then put a sticker of the flag of the country and write its name so that families could reference it. By empowering ELI and Pipkin students alike, this event allowed for an enjoyable cultural dialogue and more understanding within the Springfield community. In all, students from the ELI represented Nigeria, Pakistan, Timor-Leste, Laos, Philippines, Niger, South Korea, Mexico, and Taiwan!