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It Was Diwali for a Day at Daycroft Montessori School’s Preprimary Campus

Students and Parents Enjoy Celebration of Hinduism’s Traditional “Festival of Lights”

Ann Arbor, MI (November 11, 2009) – Students and parents at Daycroft Montessori School’s Preprimary Campus (preschool and kindergarten) on Oakbrook Drive recently joined in a celebration of Diwali, the traditional “festival of lights” observed in Hinduism and other Eastern religions.

Daycroft’s Diwali event occurred on Wednesday, October 21 – the final day of this year’s five-day Diwali observance. Students dressed in traditional Indian clothing, joined in Indian folk music and dance, and feasted on Indian food – spiced mildly to appeal to a young person’s taste.

Daycroft parents helped explain Diwali’s origin and meaning to students. Parents also arranged the musical entertainment and brought the dishes to pass.

Daycroft faculty members Arthi Krishnamoorthy, a preschool head teacher, and Payal Shah, a preschool assistant teacher, organized the Diwali event.

By tradition, Diwali celebrants light diyas – cotton string wicks inserted in small clay pots filled with oil – to signify the victory of good over evil within an individual, and to note the uplifting of spiritual darkness. Celebrants also share in sweets and gifts. Prayers and religious rituals further highlight the festival, mainly observed in India and Nepal.

Diwali is a national holiday in India. The festival occurs on different days each year, as determined by the Hindu calendar, based on lunar cycles. The main day of celebration varies regionally.

Daycroft’s Diwali celebration reflects the school’s cultural diversity. Events inspired by Jewish, Chinese, and African-American holidays and traditions, among others, will happen later during the 2009-10 school year at Daycroft.

About Daycroft Montessori School

Daycroft Montessori School blends the distinctive student-centered teaching methods of Maria Montessori with traditional and progressive teaching methods. Daycroft thus accomplishes its educational mission: to provide a personalized learning environment that appreciates individual differences, nurtures the whole child, and enables students to develop at their own pace and achieve to their full potential.

Daycroft is one of Washtenaw County’s leading independent schools. It began as a preschool program in 1968. Daycroft has since grown to include a full-day kindergarten program, an elementary school program through 6th grade, before-school and after-school care, summer camp programs, and enrichment classes.

Daycroft has earned accreditation from the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS; www.isacs.org). It is a member of the Associations of Independent Michigan Schools; www.aims-mi.org) and the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS; www.nais.org).

Daycroft Preprimary School (preschool and kindergarten) is at 100 E. Oakbrook Dr., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Phone: (734) 930-0333.

Daycroft Elementary School (grades K through 6) and Daycroft’s administrative offices are at 1095 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48103. Phone: (734) 662-3335.

Media Contact:
Chris Kochmanski
DesignHub, Inc.
(734) 944-8705
chris@design-hub.com

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