Kiersten Connolly
Staff Writer

At Alton Middle School, the topic of sharing cultural backgrounds as a collective group has been on the table. The school got together and celebrated culture day for that very reason.

Over a hundred students were chosen to participate. This allowed for any student regardless of sex, race, nationality, and abilities or disabilities to have a role in the celebration.

A young girl named Esmeralda did a portrayal of Helen Keller. It came to attention that the young girl shared impairments with Keller.

Thanks to all the dedication from Angel Weber, the program organizer, everything went off without a hitch.

Sarah Witherbee, a 7th-grade student at Alton Middle School, stepped on stage to sing the National Anthem to the celebration of James Brown and Motown.

The entire ensemble closed the performance together by singing “We Shall Overcome.”

Nicole Marconi, Field Summit House principal, said that this was a serious topic with celebration weaved within, and as a school, everyone was to stand together to help one another with all goals and endeavors.

“We’re here to reflect on the angels of the past and the warriors of today.” Marconi said.

President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Emily Dickinson, Ruby Bridges, President Abraham Lincoln, Princess Diana, Ella Fitzgerald, and Hellen Keller were among those celebrated.

“I had a chance to make a lot of new friends, and had a fun experience as President Lincoln,” 7th-grader Bradley Taulbee said.

If only one thing could be said about everything a person in attendance could learn at this performance, it was best summarized by Marconi who said, civil rights are human rights; not separated by race, sex, or origin. United we stand as a school, a community, and a family.

kierstenconnolly1@gmail.com