The children illustrating the classic children's game "Bjørnen sover", with Norwegian lyrics!. Photo: The Norwegian EmbassySince 1974, the Embassy Adoption Program, in partnership with the Washington Performing Arts Society, has worked with 5th and 6th grade students, to bring global education to the classroom. A class is “adopted” by an embassy, creating a bond with both our local and international community. Students spend a year immersed in programs that aim to enhance cultural competency, increase cross-cultural communication skills, and aid in student understanding of local and global communities.
This year the Norwegian Embassy is working with Ross Elementary School, and on Friday, June 3 the class visited the Embassy to round off this year's learning about Norway with a presentation for the Ambassador. The 5th graders showed off their impressive knowledge of Noregian geography, culture and sports. In addition, the students brought handmade posters bearing self-portraits and autobiographical information, which now hang in the Embassy's main meeting room, as a gallery for all Embassy employees to browse.
Program highlights include classroom sessions hosted by embassy representatives, field trips by the students to gain hands-on experience with their adopted culture, and a Mini United Nations event involving all DCPS Embassy Adoption classrooms.
The Embassy Adoption Program is a compelling opportunity that could only exist in the District of Columbia. It is an opportunity to expand students’ global understanding -- and embassy employees find they learn a lot about the city in which they work, too.