Living in Harmony:

Ideas for Elementary Schools

Consider becoming “Partners in Harmony” with another elementary school whose students have a different racial demographic or cultural heritage.

Hold a Partners in Harmony:

• Picnic   

• Cultural Field Trip and Lunch, one class at a time.

• Lunch and Recess – each school host one class from the partner school.

• Field Day.

• Movie and Popcorn Night – each school host the partner school. 

• Social activities for all adult groups, e.g., school board, faculties, etc. 

• School Liturgy.  Mix your choirs.  Teach songs ahead of time to all classes.

• Read Across America Day.  7th/8th graders read to the Kindergarten students of partner school.  

• Program Exchange.  Attend each other’s Christmas, Black History or other programs.

At your own school:

• Faculty and Staff read and discuss Made in the Image and Likeness of God, a Pastoral Letter on Racial Harmony.  Discuss how it can be age-appropriately implemented at each grade level.

• Include a daily prayer for racial harmony at assemblies, liturgies, school board and PTA meetings.

• Hold a racial harmony prayer, poetry, essay and/or art contest.  Use the students’ prayers at assemblies, liturgies.  Display the art.   

• Use the Kids’ Clarion to highlight your activities and to publish children’s prayers, art, essays and poems.

• Have a year round bulletin board in foyer or cafeteria with a racial harmony theme.  Use it to post pictures of Partners in Harmony activities, students’ prayers, essays, poems and art.  

• Have students interview their elders to learn the family history, cultural practices and celebrations.  Share these stories with their Partners in Harmony.

• Hold a Multi-Cultural Day – invite speakers, story-tellers, musicians, chefs, college professors, artists of various racial/ethnic backgrounds.  Ask the guests to wear their native dress if possible.

• Involve each class and their room parents in planning activities.

• Teach the lives of the saints mentioned in the implementation plan of the pastoral, #4 under Recommendations for Parishes and purchase pictures and/or statues of these saints.

• Insure that all races in the school are represented on Student Council, PTA and school boards.

• Allow students to display their baby/childhood pictures on a classroom bulletin board.  Have them find pictures of babies of all races.  Help your class choose a caption such as “We are children of the Lord”, “Children of the King”,   “Jesus loves the Little Children of the World.

• Ask the music teacher to teach a song to tie in with your bulletin board, e.g. “Jesus Loves the Little Children”.

• Stock your library with multi-ethnic authors and books. When having a book sale, check that the company can provide multi-ethnic materials.

• Beginning with your own students, read the folklore of all races and countries and explore the similarities and differences.

• Celebrate the major holidays and feast days of all races.

• Check out the many websites that promote racial harmony.