THUNDER BAY - Eid al-Fitr is one of the biggest holidays in the Muslim religion and as the community continues to grow in the city, students were treated to a special feast to celebrate.
“It makes you feel really accepted,” said Zahraa Alsumadi, a Grade 8 student at Ecole Gron Morgan Public School. “You already feel really accepted but this just takes it to another level. Being recognized for what I’m doing or what my religion is. It is really great.”
On Thursday, the Lakehead Public School Board hosted a feast to celebrate Eid. More than 110 students from six public schools participated in the meal consisting of traditional dishes and some pizza, followed by some fun activities at the Boys and Girls Club.
Eid marks the end of the month-long fast during Ramadan and it can last for up to three days in some countries.
“Many of our students fasted and throughout the school day we had areas in the schools where they were able to go and have some quiet time and not have to watch everyone else eat,” said Sheri Cressman, an English language learner resource teacher at Ecole Gron Morgan.
“We are celebrating their perseverance, their identify as students. It’s very important to us that they maintain their culture from their homeland.”
This is the first time such a celebration has been hosted by the school board and Cressman said the number of Muslim students is growing in area schools.
“Our population is growing and our ELL program is growing as well and we really want to recognize all our students,” she said.
The feast is also an opportunity for new students and families who have recently arrived in the country to meet with others who have been here for several years.
“We are celebrating these kids and their diversity,” Cressman said. “It’s a chance for our newcomers to interact with some of the immigrants who have been here for many years and share the same values as them.”
Zahraa, who has been in Canada most of her life, said it is really great to see how big this celebration is in only its first year.
“It’s really great because we never really had this kind of thing before,” she said. “The last time we had something like this, it was just a small group in a class. But how much larger it got after just one year and you get to see how big the Muslim community is in Thunder Bay.”
“For them it’s very exciting time of year,” Cressman added. “It is something they value very much and for us to be able to celebrate that with them is really exciting for us as a school board.”
