Midway through Jonathan Kruk’s storytelling, the action shifted. He called students to the front, and they became a king, a princess, princes-turned trees, and a magical bird … slipping into their roles in the Latvian fairytale with twinkling eyes and extravagant gestures.
Parents in the audience loved the being part of the fun, and learning along with their students!
The third-grade family assembly was a capstone in Katonah Elementary’s third grade exploration of cultures from around the world. The students had been learning that culture includes the everyday things people do—what they eat, what they wear, the traditions they celebrate, and how their environment shapes their way of life. Now, they listened to Kruk’s stories from places including Ethiopia, Brazil, France, Japan, and New York, and compared them to their own experiences.
For famed storyteller Jonathan Kruk, visiting KES was something of a homecoming; it was where he went to elementary school, he told the students. When Principal Cristy Harris was a student at KES, Jonathan’s mom was her kindergarten teacher!
After Kruk’s final story, it was the families' turn. Their next stop was the third-grade classrooms, where they would share stories from their own cultures with the class.