What A Great Day!
Students from the 5th grade class interact with the portraits and stories in “Children of Bethlehem”.
What a great opening day of "Children of Bethlehem" we had Wednesday. In the morning multiple classes came to see the exhibit grade by grade. The 5th graders were definitely the most engaged. Perhaps it was their age, or time of day, or the teacher… In any case, it filled me with such joy to watch the students interact with the art. Some attentively read the stories, others pointed out different details to their friends, still others were giggling--all so like kids back home in the States.
A girl reads her peer’s stories.
In the evening, parents, students, and international visitors came to see the show. It was wonderful to hear from the visitors how impactful the stories were and that they would like to find a way to bring "Children of Bethlehem" to their communities in the U.S., Canada, and Italy. Inshallah! Here's hoping!
The Dar al-Kalima school and I hope this is just the beginning of more partnerships to come. We have dreams of more storytelling workshops and moreover creating opportunities for you all to visit and meet the kids yourself! If you have interest in joining a travel group or would like to bring "Children of Bethlehem" to your community, please let me know! Also, if you would like to support the school in other ways, like supporting scholarships for the kids you can do so through their American affiliate Bright Stars of Bethlehem.
Thank you for your continued support, excitement, and receptivity. It is a joy to share in this work with you all!
Explaining the exhibition to a class of students.
My amazing team! Rami Khader and Dima Awad.
Four of the artists, now 8th graders, and me. Wow how they grow in a year!
