Four years ago, the Museum’s Latino Parents Advisory Committee was eager to find a way to give back to CMEE and highlight their food, crafts and traditions of their home countries. To accomplish those goals, they developed the CMEE Feria, which the parents plan and implement in its entirety. The inaugural Feria, which is the Spanish word for fair or festival, raised over $1,000 that the parents used for the children enrolled in the Ciencia en CMEE program to take a trip to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.
This year’s event was especially amazing. You could feel the sense of pride as soon as you entered the Museum. Countries ranging from Mexico to Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador were all represented through food, performances and art. The Feria offered a range of music, dance and other entertainment from salsa dance lessons for all to La Loteria, a Mexican version of the game bingo. “This is our event,” Anna H. one of the Feria organizers explained. “We decide how to do it.”
The proceeds from each Feria enable children and families to take a field trip that supports what they are learning during the science programming at the Museum. Last year, the families used the money to visit the Hispanic Society of America and this year, they’ll be visiting the Bronx Zoo.
Check out the pictures below.
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