The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Students at the Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School celebrated Diwali, the Indian “Festival of Lights,” during a special presentation Nov. 5.
The celebration included dancing, singing and violin playing, said Oguz Yildiz, the school’s principal.
“The performances put on by the students and parents were extremely impressive,” Yildiz said in an email about the event. “There was even a fashion show of beautiful Indian attire. The parental support to cheer on the students was tremendous. Many of the teachers and students dressed up and parents brought in delicious Indian food to share.”
Chandrakant Desai of Franklin Park was on hand to read a Township Council proclamation declaring Oct. 23 through 27 as “Diwali 2013,” Yildiz said.
Yildiz said the school honors many cultures.
“We honor and respect diversity, celebrate cultural traditions, and nurture student identities, success and leadership at Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School,” Yildiz said in the email. “We prepare our teachers to work with culturally diverse students. Understanding people and their backgrounds is crucial to for students’ personal growth.
“We do celebrate not only Diwali, (but) Black History Month and Cinco de Mayo as well,” he said.
TEECS, located on Cortelyous Lane, is a charter school in its second school year of operation. The school has 252 students in grades Kindergarten through 5th, and serves mainly Franklin and North and South Brunswick.
For more pictures of the celebration, visit the school’s Flickr site.
