Bayan Yousef, 10, helps her mother Amal Nasir of Flint with their display from their home country Jordan during International Day at Islamic Faith Academy in Tyler on March 8, 2019. (Sarah A. Miller/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Students at Islamic Faith Academy in Tyler had an international send-off on their last day of school before spring break on Friday.

Parents of the youngest students, preschoolers through first grade, spent the morning transforming the cafeteria into a colorful and informative space to teach students about their home countries for International Day. The booths represented 12 countries including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Syria, Gambia, India and the region of Palestine. 

Nareemam Shahateet of Tyler brought traditional strong coffee from Palestine to share with the other parents attending.

“We are from different cultures, but the important lesson is that we are all the same,” Shahateet said. “We are like one person.”

Students in the second through fourth grade were tasked to research a country that is not majority Islamic. The students created posters featuring their research on places such as Poland, Spain and Japan. 

Third-grader Dania Snoubar, 8, said she was surprised at how much she enjoyed learning about Russia.

“I learned that it’s the largest country in the world,” she said. “I’m interested in its history.” 

Classmate Anas Jared, 8, memorized many facts about Ireland.

“It’s known for its lush green fields,” he said. “The money is called euro. It’s home of one of the oldest universities — Trinity College.” 

Principal Shamsa Ashraf said that most of the students are familiar with the countries their parents came from, but they were excited to learn about other parts of the world such as Italy, where in some places people use boats for transportation. 

“I want them to understand that we are not just confined to own country and our own spaces,” Ashraf said. “The world is so big.” 

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