Mount Kisco Elementary Third Graders Take Families on an Adventure During Passport Day

As Mount Kisco Elementary School families made their way down the third-grade wing on Passport Day, they got to experience a different country in each classroom they visited. For two months, students had been researching and learning about different countries and their cultures. Passport Day was when all of that hard work came together, and students presented in pairs about a cultural aspect of a specific country.

The countries studied included Greece, Egypt, China, the Philippines, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. Presentations were given in both English and Spanish.

Third graders were jittery as they waited for their turn to present.

“I’m scared and happy, but also calm,” Leianna Paz said as she and her partner waited to present what they learned about Egypt.

In a different room, Emily Castro Bermudez said she was “happy and nervous” as she waited to present on China.

“This is the highlight of their year,” third-grade teacher Monica Jiménez Amador told a parent. “They love it!”

Though nervous—mostly that they wouldn’t be able to answer every question visitors asked—students proudly stood in front of dioramas, tri-fold poster boards and cultural artifacts. They buzzed with energy and were excited to discuss interesting facts they had learned while doing their projects.

“Chinese writing has more than 50,000 characters,” Nataly Sanchez said.

“My favorite part was learning about the geography,” Cameron Munroe said. “Egypt is really hot, and it has one of the tallest mountains in the world.”

“Art in the Philippines is really unique and diverse,” Dagny Todeasa said.

Students were also eager to talk about their favorite parts of completing the project.

“We liked slathering on glitter,” Dagny said of her and her partner, Emely Sagastume Melendez.