They wore costumes they had never worn before, sang songs they had never heard and displayed their knowledge of the various cultures, which they learned about in school.
I spoke with some of the children about cultural diversity. I expected to get puzzled looks or shoulder shrugs as answers.
Instead, I was surprised and relieved at the answers I got.
Two boys — Justyne Soriano, a 10-year-old Filipino boy, and Movses Tsaturyan, an 11-year-old of Armenian boy — impressed me with their friendship.
When I asked them why it was important to get to know other students with different backgrounds and cultures, the boys said it was because they could learn a new language and learn how other people lived their lives.
Justyne and Movses, who both spoke English fluently, had managed to learn a few words in each other's language.
They were open to the idea of having friends from different backgrounds, but what got them together was not their ethnicity, it was their compatibility.
Children have the best definition for friendship.
They keep their friendships simple and look to make friends in ways that benefit all parties involved.
It's not about ancestry or skin color or even language barriers.
Children are admirable when it comes diversity. Diversity never seems to be a challenge for them.
ANI AMIRKHANIAN is a news assistant. She may be reached at (818) 637-3230 or by e-mail at ani.amirkhanianlatimes.com.
