It's a celebration of diversity in Albemarle County schools. On Friday night, students will host an event in honor of heritage.
There are more than 50 languages spoken in Albemarle County schools. That multiculturalism will be highlighted Friday evening during Sutherland Middle School's annual diversity celebration.
Students have created displays and made flags for the event. This year there will be more than 50 exhibits. The events kick off with a parade of flags of the various countries represented at the festival. Some students plan to dress in costume, while others will be singing cultural songs, doing traditional dances, and sharing food from various countries.
"This event is very important to us, to our students, to our community, because we live in a world economy, a global economy, and we live in a diverse community and I believe and we all believe it's important to educate our children," said Maria Asouline, an Albemarle County teacher.
This year is expected to be the biggest cultural diversity festival yet. Hundreds of people are expected to attend.
Hollymead and Baker Butler Elementary Schools will also be participating. Friday's diversity festival is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. in the gym of Sutherland Middle School.
