Annual Report 2014-15 | Page 26

ARTS AND CULTURE Each year the school celebrates cultural diversity through a variety of arts activities that foster learning about and appreciation and respect for our students’ cultures. For the 2014-15 school year we hosted Hispanic Heritage, Black History and Asian Pacific Islander festivals, which included student and community-led performances in song, dance, poetry, skits, and fashion. Each cultural celebration is accompanied by relevant in-class interactive workshops ranging from Afro-Latino dance to Taiko drumming and hand dance. The school library got involved by highlighting related books and resources, and the culinary arts career training program students prepared food tastings for each event. Arts workshops, given throughout the year, provide students with a unique way to approach subject matter and build the cultural literacy necessary to actively participate in American society. A partnership with the Shakespeare Theatre Company had GED students exploring the play The Tempest. Following an interactive workshop students went to a professional performance of the play. Shown above a steel drum musician presents an interactive workshop for a beginning level ESL class during Black History Month. CARLOS ROSARIO INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOL / 2015 ANNUAL REPORT 27