Southeast Elementary students learn about Christmas around the world.

Teachers at Southeast Elementary School are teaching students the many ways Christmas is celebrated around the world. Staff with the school say setting up the decor was time consuming.

“We started a week after Thanksgiving break and it took a little over a week to get everything put up during planning times.”

Southeast Elementary Inclusion teacher Melissa Reid says it was time for a change after several years of traditional holiday decor.

“This is the first year that we‘ve done Christmas around the world, but we have been decorating for Christmas for four years now.”

Teachers were not alone in making this happen as students also played their part too.

“If it was a grade level section or a classroom section each student had a part in doing either craft or different pieces that got hung up for the exhibit as well as researching for the information that got hung up on the walls.”

Reid also says this exhibit is rewarding to students because they’re left with a mission to travel around the world.

“There’s some classes that are going around with little passports and things like that learning about each country and the teachers have gone through to figure out different questions and things like that to ask the students to find on a scavenger hunt.”

Reid adds how bringing the culture into the classroom is something teachers at Southeast Elementary want to specialize in because Christmas is celebrated differently in other countries than it is here.

“Students are learning about many different cultures and how other students around the world celebrate Christmas and they’re able to research the different countries and their traditions as well as go around and learn about the different countries. “

Reid also says the feeling is priceless seeing the students react to the countries posted around the school.

“Whenever the students walk into the hall, they’re face just lights up and to see everything and they’re very calm because the florescence lights are not on.”