LMS observes Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in educational and fun fashion
As stated on the Asian Pacific American Heritage Month website, the Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institution and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America's history and are instrumental in its future success.
Lawrence Middle School (LMS) also is honoring the many contributions Asian and Pacific Americans made to America. LMS is running a daily quiz through the school's morning announcements. The contest asks a series of questions with the most difficult questions first.
May was chosen by Congress as Asian and Pacific Heritage Month to commemorate the first Japanese to arrive in America (Nakahama "John" Manjiro arrived in May of 1843 after being rescued by a whaling ship), and to mark the anniversary of the completion of the transcontinental railroad (built by many Chinese immigrants) in May of 1869.
LMS students and teachers have had a lot of fun as the competition to be the first to correctly identify the LMS "Person of the Day" heated up among the classes.
Profiles varied throughout the month and included such famous Americans as Duke Kahanamoku , who is widely credited with reintroducing the ancient sport of surfing; fashion designer, Vera Wang; Dalip Singh Saund, who was the first Sikh American and the first member of a non-Abrahamic faith to be elected to Congress; actor and activist, George Takei; and Olympic super-star, Michelle Kwan.
