The Gloria Dei Hispanic dancers performed for the students of Central Elementary School on Wednesday, February 6th as part of the school's monthly assembly.
The school’s topic for February is Celebrating America’s Diversity. Having the Gloria Dei dancers perform traditional hispanic folkloric dances was an opportunity to expose the children to a type of dance many are not familiar with.
Two programs used to guide the topics for the assemblies at Central Elementary are CASS (Creating a Safe School) and PBIS (Positive, Behaviors, Interventions, and Support). Each month different classrooms and Team Lead members help organize and present at the assembly.
Before the performance, dancers presented a brief history of the dance to the students. When the performance was finished, students had an opportunity to ask questions of the dancers. One of the questions asked was how long the folkloric dance classes have been offered. According to Pastor Tomas Angon, of the Gloria Dei Hispanic Mission, Gloria Dei began offering folkloric dance classes for children in 2007. “The children learn to preserve and appreciate their Hispanic heritage, while acquiring a skill they can share with the community.”
Gloria Dei offers Citizenship classes, Adult and Preschool English Learner classes, K-12 Tutoring, childcare for children of adult students, and transportation provided, free of charge.
“For years our programs had been running separately,” said Angon. “In 2012, we formed Compass, which combines all of our thriving programs into one. Now we have two nights per week where the entire family can come learn with us.”
Gloria Dei's Compass Education Program is being held in the evenings at Central Elementary School.