Students “Culture Crawl” Through Downtown Salina

Downtown Salina was alive Monday, with teens roaming the streets.

The second “Cultural Crawl” was held. Groups of 50 students rotated through nearly a dozen available stations at various locations. Lessons were learned over curriculum areas that included arts, science, history, social studies, math and more.

There was plenty for the students to do, including hands-on activities.

Participating organizations donated their time and talent to develop the program and man their station for the event. They included:

Community Access TV teaching different aspects and opportunities of connecting with the community through video production.
The Salina Art Center introduced the use of narrative in art and students will develop their own art work.
Friends of the River Foundation experimented with a model river seeing what happens when trash is introduced.
Lakewood Discovery Center had students interact with water, learning its importance to our survival and the effects of conservation practices and water stewardship.
Salina Downtown, Inc. helped students gain an understanding of the visual arts with an interactive sculpture tour.
Salina Public Library helped students choose language that expresses ideas precisely and concisely.
Smoky Hill Museum connected students with selected people from the 1960s, viewing the struggle through different eyes.
Local hip hop artists, cash hollistah discussed the relationship between hip hop music and poetry/language arts.
Salina Community Theatre shared an appreciation for how lights, set, and costumes influence a theatrical scene.
Rolling HIlls Zoo developed in students an awareness of how student’s purchasing power affects animals and the environment in other parts of the world.

According to organizers, seventh graders of Salina were identified for this program because many times they don’t have the same opportunities for field trips and other prospects to learn outside the classroom. Schools participating in the Cultural Crawl weree USD 305’s Lakewood and South Middle Schools of Salina.

Volunteers from the Salina Area United Way through the Volunteer Hub helped with the event throughout the day. Funding of the transportation for the Cultural Crawl is being provided by the Salina Education Foundation and several local donors.