Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy Holds Second Annual Multicultural Health Festival

Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy (NSAA) celebrated its’ second annual Multicultural Health Festival on Friday, Sept. 19. NSAA serves students in Kindergarten through eighth grade and primarily focuses on science on a daily basis as well as training students to learn in both English and Spanish. This Multicultural Health Festival gives parents the opportunity to become an active part in their child’s education. "With staff, parents, and community members, they can work to make the school a place where students can succeed and enjoy a variety of experiences throughout their school day,” Principal Lupita Girard said. The “multicultural” part was encouraged through everyone’s participation. Most students dressed to represent a specific culture. There were many “learning stations” throughout the festival and different groups of students were able to visit each one. The stations were sponsored by community members and volunteers, which consisted mostly of parents of NSAA students. One of the stations was the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino; they offered different healthy tips and information including how to properly wash your hands, and to cover your mouth while coughing. El Sol Educational Neighborhood was also giving healthy advice. San Bernardino County Planned Parenthood had a booth and was sharing information about social media safety and the prevention of bullying. Parent volunteers hosted the remainder of stations including: the dental hygiene booth, which was ran by Dawn Middleton and Dawn Morris, the yoga station ran by Mrs. Young, the cultural booth ran by ELAC Vice President Ana Villapando, and the snack station ran by parents Beatriz and Alejandro Garcia. Principal Girard shared, “It is through the collaboration of students, parents, staff and community members that Norton Space and Aeronautics Academy offers such a true school community where students can enjoy a variety of experiences throughout their school day.”