By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

PELHAM— With LNLC Airlines boarding passes and a list of flight times, the students at the Linda Nolen Learning Center visited eight countries in a span of two hours Jan. 22.

It was Cultural Day at the Linda Nolen Learning Center, and each student was given a passport to prepare for the day’s adventures. Japan, Egypt, Tanzania, Paraguay, Italy, China, Mexico and Germany were all destinations and the students received an entry and exit stamp as they travelled to each country.

“What we have been trying to do is work on our professional development for each other is working on diversity, collaboration and technology,” said Michele Murray, a teacher a LNLC. “So it incorporated all of that into one special day for all the students.”

Each country featured a student-led PowerPoint presentation, featuring key points and facts on the country’s culture, and a sampling of food from the area.

In their visit to Japan, the students took photos in kimonos, and tried some Japanese fare, such as spring rolls, sushi, fortune cookies and more. Murray said the food portion of the countries was important for the students.

“They got to try some foods,” she said. “A lot of these guys are set on hamburgers, chicken fingers and pizza, and they had to branch out a little bit.”

As the students travelled to Mexico, they found themselves surrounded by the music of the culture and a colorfully decorated classroom.

Murray, who recently travelled to Egypt, shared some personal photographs and experiences with the students while they learned about the pyramids and the sphinx.

In Italy, Murray said the focus was on the all the artists there. The students had the opportunity to create their own mural after learning about the artwork of the country.

“That was the whole point of this was just to include everybody working together,” Murray said. “Since we serve students pre-school through 21, this was able to incorporate everybody.”