CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD

WITH WORLD TRAVEL ON HOLD, ELEMENTARY BROUGHT THE WORLD TO LRCA

By Phillip Bridges, Director of Marketing and Communications

Christmas in Warriorville has always been a special time of year marked by many sacred traditions, some dating all the way back to the Walnut Valley days of the school’s founding. Sadly, the pandemic put many of these traditions on hold for the 2020 Christmas season. However, this did not stop the Elementary building from celebrating in a BIG way! In a year when so many trips and travel plans were postponed, the Elementary building decided to bring CHRISTMAS AROUND THE WORLD to Little Rock Christian Academy. On paper, the plan was simple enough; each homeroom teacher would select a country, decorate their room in the theme of that country all while learning about that country’s traditions and beliefs along the way. If elementary teachers receive a creative idea, they are going to run with it and go above and beyond. The end result was beyond anything Mrs. Chami could have anticipated. She said, “Walking up and down the halls was such a thrill, and hopping from country to country was just like being at the EPCOT World Showcase at Disney World.”

In addition to decorating the classrooms, doors, and hallways, teachers came up with interactive activities for students as they “toured” the world. Mrs. Sanders’ first grade class chose Egypt and created a secret puzzle using ancient hieroglyphic symbols for other students to decode. In second grade, Mrs. Gentry’s class created a table with a traditional Filipino Christmas dinner, complete with a stuffed animal pig to represent the favorite dish, lechon. Mrs. Rosenthal's class made individual artwork of the Swedish Aurora Borealis, then combined the art to hang from the ceiling as a giant installation of the Northern Lights.

Mrs. Nwokoro chose Israel for her second graders and they created a replica of the Wailing Wall where students could write prayer requests and pin to the wall. In third grade, Mrs. Clark’s Argentina had Argentinian row houses that were used to teach area and perimeter to third-grade students. Mrs. Wood asked her fourth-grade class their favorite part of Christmas Around the World. They replied, “Everything! But taking a trip around the world was the best! It was fun to learn facts about different countries and their beliefs.”

Students were given passports to take with them as they traveled the world and toured the 24 countries throughout the building. They got a festive Christmas sticker to mark off each country they visited. Parents were invited on the tour via Facebook Live, so they could travel along and see all of the hard work and JOY that went into the project. In addition to the fun and decorations, students took time to pray for each country represented. Since students learned about the beliefs unique to each country, they were able to pray specific requests for each country. Putting the normal traditions like Christmas musicals and Christingle on hold was hard at first, but it did not stop the House of Love from celebrating the birth of Christ in new and exciting ways.

Among the countless new challenges and changes this school year, Christmas Around the World was a new tradition students and teachers welcomed in with open arms and enthusiastic hearts. My 2nd graders enjoyed studying the tiny but mighty country of Israel. It was incredible to learn about the place where Jesus was born, grew up, and saved the world! At a time where travel is discouraged, it sure was amazing to visit more than twenty countries. Touring the countries studied by fellow students, celebrating Jesus all along the way, was an experience these children will remember for a lifetime. - Mrs. Nwokoro, 2nd Grade Teacher