
NASHUA, NH – Sunset Heights Elementary School hosted a multicultural family night for the first time. Over 400 family members and students attended the inaugural event held Jan. 23, which will become the school’s annual tradition.
Principal Erin Anderson and the faculty and staff presented the event to unite the school community and celebrate the diversity of cultures represented in the student body. About 350 students attend the school and more than 20 languages are spoken there.
Families from about a dozen counties served food from their home nations in the cafeteria which was well-liked by the crowd. Throughout the school, stations were set up with activities about the different nationalities in the school. Teachers and staff manned the stations and kids got to show off their school to their parents and siblings.
“The turnout is absolutely amazing. It’s so great to see everyone from all the different families, cultures, and countries. It’s exciting,” said Principal Anderson.
The Nashua school system comprises an ethnically diverse population as evidenced by the families attending the Sunset Heights event. Assimilation, adaption, and acceptance can be challenging for adults.
Anderson says it’s less so for her students.
“Kids are kids. Kids don’t think the way adults think. They see each other with kindness, friendship, and compassion, and we really work on that a lot,” Anderson says. “Understanding that people are different, but just because they’re different doesn’t mean that they can’t be your friends and you can’t get along and work together. I think having such a diverse community really helps with that, too, because we have so many different cultures coming together.”

The school has a dedicated team devoted to providing specialized instruction for English-language learners (ELLs). These are students who are unable to communicate fluently or learn effectively in English. They often come from non-English-speaking homes and backgrounds.
“Every student is different. We’ve seen some who, within a few months of arriving, are speaking fluently enough in English to get around the classroom or to be successful in our groups,” says ELL teacher Jennifer Rousseau. “Google Translate works wonders and has been very helpful in communicating with them early on in those first couple of days. We’re so lucky that we have the translators that we do in the district as well, who can help communicate with the families back and forth.”
The event was a success judging by the smiles, excited children, the lines at the food tables, and the number of people celebrating the diverse cultures of Nashua.