Bashaw Elementary celebrates North America at Art and Music Festival
Each year, students perform and display artwork that represents the culture they learned about during the year.
By
Jessica Salmond
| 10:18 a.m. May 22, 2015
East County
Schools
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Traditional song, dance and dress came to life last night at William H. Bashaw Elementary School during its annual 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.Â
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.Â
"This festival drives everything we do — all the music, all the rhythms we perform — it gives you a focal point throughout the year," said Barbara Sullivan, the music teacher, said.Â
Brandon Stoddart, fourth grade, gives Serendipity the llama some bunny ears.
School namesake William H. Bashaw, his wife, Betty, and Dave Miner, School Board Vice Chair, attended the fifth-grade performance.
Enrique Briones dances the Virginia reel.
Jessica Mooney and Leyna Anderson, fifth-graders, dressed up for the frontier photo booth.
Wally the screech owl from Wildlife Inc. is one of five native Florida species of owl.
Fifth-graders learned the Virginia reel and performed it during the festival.
Richie, Sheila and Kailey Cline checked out the owls at Wildlife Inc.'s table, which was watched over by owners Ed and Devon Straight.
Fifth-grade students learned an Native American chant and played it during their performance.
Hailey Williams, a third-grade student, pets Paintball Pete. She said the llamas were "pretty cool."
Jolene Tison and Fernanda Ramos, two fifth-graders, dance the Virginia reel.
Barnabus the barn owl, brought to the festival by Wildlife, Inc., seems to be admiring the artwork on display in the media center.
Valeria Marina dresses up as a chief while Maggie Zanders take her photo at the photo booth.
Willianny Reyez speaks during the fifth-grade performance.
Oak Rest Farm brought in two llamas for the festival.
William Domenech explains how cowboys "drove" cattle on the range.
