Desmond T. Doss Junior Academy holds annual social studies fair
Wednesday, 22 February 2012 16:01
“When a first grader can do the customary ‘Dragon Dance’ from Taiwan and share facts about the country that even the principal didn’t know, that’s when its obvious,” said Steven Doss, principal of Desmond T. Doss Junior Academy, “social studies fairs educate.”
Feb. 2 held the academy’s annual fair, which many say is the highlight of the academic calendar. “This two week block is dedicated to learning cultures that many of us have little or knowledge of. It gives students, parents and teachers a chance to step out of the ‘every day’ and consider life differently,” explained Doss.
This year, classes represented Africa, Taiwan, Israel, the Artic and Russia. “You can really see the impact a two-week concentration has on the student body,” said Doss. “During prayer time students would request to pray for nations, like Africa, as a whole. It was rewarding to see the them recognize the beauty of Africa and its people as well as the real challenges found on the continent.”
In this academy, learning new cultures extends past this two-week block. Prior to the fair, students in Mrs. Kelly’s 3rd and 4th grade classes learned about the Wailing Wall and created a small version in the back of the room. Students put their own prayers in the “crevices” between the blocks.
Doss says focusing on different cultures has three three goals: to create a thirst for learning, bring students to understand that the world is much larger than they likely imagined and that even though people may look, act and talk differently, we are all created and loved by God.
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