ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, March 30, 1996               TAG: 9604010019
SECTION: VIRGINIA                 PAGE: C-1  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER 

KIDS LEARN ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE

BURLINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS get a global tour on their career day.

The world came to Burlington Elementary School on Friday.

It was a day to dream of castles, kings, princesses, Russian circuses, clowns, bullfights, lions, tigers, panda bears and African drummers.

For Trevor Janney, a third-grader, it was an opportunity to use his imagination to craft a model Spanish castle from shoe boxes and aluminium foil. He learned about bullfights and Spanish dancers, too.

The children at the Roanoke County school learned about the world through a series of career day speakers from nearly a dozen countries and art activities that were designed to broaden their understanding of economic, cultural, racial and social differences.

"We want them to know that diversity is not a bad word," said Michele Dowdy, a counselor at the school. "The world is getting smaller because of computers and other reasons, and we want them to respect diversity."

The fourth-graders watched videos of Buckingham Palace and other historical attractions in London. They made English coats of arms out of poster paper.

For the kindergartners, it was a chance to make clown puppets and imagine a Russian circus with animals and trapeze acts.

Alexander Rogalsky made circus puppets with his classmates, but it was easier for him to picture the circus, because he was born in Moscow and lived in Russia before coming to Burlington. Still, he seemed to enjoy the clown puppets just as much as the other children in his class.

As part of their social studies curriculum, the children have been studying different countries this year. One of the county school system's goals is to prepare students for life in a culturally diverse and global community.

Dowdy said the school decided to combine the cultural diversity program with its traditional career day activities because there is a natural link between them. Because of economic changes, many of today's students can expect to live and travel in foreign countries during their careers, she said.

"Children are never too young to start thinking of careers, which can affect travel opportunities," she said.

Martin Smith, a native of England who is director of food and beverage at the Roanoke Airport Marriott, advised the children to learn a second language while they are in school.

"The world is shrinking. If you learn another language, you will have more opportunities," Smith told them. "Computers will change the world more in the next 20 years than they have in the past 20."

Smith, who has worked in hotels around the world, said students will need a better understanding of cultural and social differences as technology brings more change.

The children were introduced to African music and folklore by Stowe and Lowe, a Roanoke entertainment and educational production team.

Hadassah Stowe, a teacher, poet and playwright, joined with Leroy Lowe, a drummer, singer and actor, to entertain the students with drums and stories.

Ruben Guallar, a Radford University student from Spain, brought his country to life for the third-graders as he described the landscape and people in his homeland. Guallar, who is from Barcelona, first came to America as a high school exchange student.

The fourth-graders learned about England - its castles, government, schools, weather, religions and even its holidays. Joyce Brown, a Roanoke Valley resident who was born in Great Britain, and her grown daughter, Doris Mattox, gave the children a tour of the country with videos, photographs and maps.

Mattox told the children that most British holidays are similar to America's with a couple of exceptions. One is Independence Day. She asked why England doesn't celebrate the day.

Sarah Davis, a pupil, had a quick answer. "They lost," she said.

As part of the cultural awareness program, the children in each class participated in art activities related to the country they were studying.

"The idea was to bring everything together to help the children understand and make them appreciate the cultural diversity," Dowdy said.

LENGTH: Medium:   80 lines
ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO:  ROGER HART/Staff. Moscow-born Alexander Rogalsky, 6, 
          plays with a clown puppet he just made Friday at Burlington 
          Elementary School. Rogalsky, a kindergartner at the school, got to 
          share his native culture with classmates. color.