Bashaw Elementary celebrates North America at Art and Music Festival

The festival has been a Bashaw tradition since the 1990s. Each year, the art and music departments collaborate to learn about a region of the world and its culture and traditions. 

Students spent the last year learning about the culture of Native Americans and early pioneers in both art and music classes. Their various lessons cumulated into the artwork displayed around the school and in the fifth-grade students' dance and musical performances. Students brought back parents' and teachers' nostalgia with songs such as "Oh Susana" and the Virginia reel. Parents and students also learned about native species thanks to Wildlife, Inc., which brought four owls, and Oak Rest Farm, which brought two llamas. 

“This festival drives everything we do — all the music, all the rhythms we perform,” said music teacher Barbara Sullivan. “It gives you a focal point throughout the year.”