Cultural Connections: Norwood Park families enjoy evening of educational games, activities

May 7, 2025

Lincoln Public Schools students journeyed around the world and experienced African hopscotch, Guatemalan food and Asian lion dancing without leaving city limits this spring.
 
Dozens of people came to Norwood Park Elementary School for the inaugural Norwood Park Culture Night. The event was designed to celebrate the rich heritages found both in the school’s hallways and across the entire community. Families ate food, played games and took part in activities in the cafeteria, music room and gym.
 
Third grader Cerise was busy putting stickers on her “cultural computer” project in the cafeteria. She came with her mom to the event and said it was fun to learn more about different societies and traditions.
 
“It’s important to share other cultures together,” Cerise said.

 
Lisa Tatro and Monique Ruiz both spent the early evening talking with students who filed into the building. Ruiz is Norwood Park’s principal and Tatro helps students in her school counselor role. Both said they were glad to see families enjoy a wide range of cultural experiences.
 
“Norwood Park is a very diverse school, and that’s what makes our community so amazing,” Ruiz said. “We felt this would be a good event to have. We wanted to embrace all of the cultures that we have here at school and celebrate them.”
 
“When I was doing lessons in the classroom, a lot of kids were like, ‘Oh, I don’t have a culture,’” Tatro said. “They didn’t have the basic understanding of what culture is and the different components of culture, so it was very important to be here tonight. It’s been good to help kids understand more about this.”

 
The idea for Norwood Park Culture Night emerged earlier this year after Ruiz talked with Olivia Cano, the school community coordinator for Norwood Park’s Community Learning Centers (CLC) branch. They felt it would be a good opportunity to promote the LPS 2024-29 Strategic Plan’s goals of family and community engagement and student and staff wellbeing.
 
Ruiz and Cano reached out to Norwood Park staff, Lincoln City Libraries (LCL) representatives and the Asian Community and Cultural Center (ACCC) of Lincoln to gauge their interest in the project. The positive response gave them the incentive to begin planning the night’s lineup.
 
Multiple Norwood Park teachers and staff members were on hand to help families during the 90-minute event. Tatro said it was a chance for everyone to build connections with students and parents.
 
“I think the staff were very excited,” Tatro said. “This is a lot different than any event we’ve had before, and with it being the first year, people were happy to come and help.”

 
One of the evening’s highlights came when ACCC members presented a traditional lion dance. Performers donned three colorful lion costumes and moved around the gym as musicians played cymbals, drums and other percussion instruments.
 
Ray Petersen talked with students about the history of lion dancing in Asia and how ACCC members perform the custom today. He began teaching ACCC youth in 1997 and is currently the vice president of education of the United States Dragon and Lion Dance Federation.
 
Petersen said he enjoys showcasing the lion dance tradition throughout Lincoln. He said it is especially satisfying to pass along his knowledge to elementary students.
 
“I love it,” Petersen said. “My hope is that they are inspired to dig deeper into any culture, not just what we do, but whatever it is they’re interested in. It’s about keeping those traditions alive, whether it’s Native American dance, Latino cultural dance, anything.”

 
One performer operated the front of each lion costume during the dance, and a second performer maneuvered the body and legs. They opened and closed the eyes and mouth of each lion in rhythm to the percussive beats happening in the gym. Spectators who were lined up along one of the gym walls were thrilled when the yellow, red and purple lions came right up to them.
 
Petersen travels across the country to judge lion dance tournaments throughout the year. He recently returned from a contest in Phoenix that featured performers standing on plates attached to six-foot-tall poles. Those trips have reinforced how exceptional Lincoln is when it comes to the community’s multicultural makeup.
 
“Lincoln is a very diverse city,” Petersen said. “We have a lot of really beautiful cultural arts here, and we’re just one of those in the family. Lincoln is a very special city in that way.”
 
Ruiz said she would like Norwood Park Culture Night to become an annual event at school. She was happy to know that people could celebrate the many customs and traditions found in Lincoln.
 
“We’re certainly hoping that this event can grow,” Ruiz said. “With this being the first year, we didn’t know what to expect as far as the turnout, but this has been good. It’s nice to see everyone enjoying themselves.”

If you want to know more about our 2024-29 Strategic Plan, visit our website at https://home.lps.org/strategicplan/.
 
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