At the end of the month of January 2010 and through two weeks, Mrs. Jackie Brown along with Elizabeth Vail co-chaired a Moroccan them activity at the Kinkaid Lower School in Houston TX.
The Kinkaid School is the oldest independent coeducational and one of the finest schools in the Houston, Texas area. The student body is divided into the Lower School (Pre-K - 4th Grade), the Middle School (5th grade - 8th grade) and the Upper School (9th grade - 12th grade).
During the fall, students learn about the art, music, language, culture, and economy of two countries. One of the countries chosen this year is Morocco.
On January 26th 2010, Mr. Youness Dehbi, an active volunteer of the Moroccan Society of Houston, participated in the event by speaking to Kinkaid students about what it is like to be a child in Morocco. There were three one-half hour presentations made to PK and K students, 1st and 2nd grade students, and 3rd and 4th grade students with approximately 400 students in total.
The highlight of the International Fair took place February 2nd, 2010 when vignettes about Morocco were set up in rooms at Kinkaid. Approximately 500 students from Kinkaid and disadvantaged youth from a public school toured the exhibits. There were three vignettes in the exhibition room, with food, music, crafts, and other activities sometimes included as part of the vignettes. The first vignette was a Moroccan Souk displaying spices, crafts, clothes and several local craft. The student interacted actively with their mentor to identify some ingredients of the Souk, they tried Moroccan “Jellabas” and “Caftans” then they witnessed a “Bargain” session between their mentor and one of the teachers.
The second vignette was a Moroccan tent where the students got to try “Couscous” and “Mint Tea”. They had a chance to experience the homelike feeling of a family oriented culture.
The third vignette was a Moroccan Garden where the student tried to practice Arabic calligraphy portraying their names.
As the focus of Kinkaid Scholl International Fair is highlighting the similarities of the children all over the world and celebrating the differences, The Moroccan Society of Houston is proud and delighted to participate with its volunteers and resources for the success of such an event.
The Moroccan Society of Houston would like to thank Kinkaid School, Mrs. Jackie Brown, Mrs. Elizabeth Vail, Mr. Youness Dehbi, its volunteers and board members who contributed to the success of this event looking forward for more projects that can build communication bridges and strengthen ties between communities across the ocean.
For Photos from the event click here