In an increasingly diverse world, celebrating a culture’s heritage has become a powerful tool for fostering unity and understanding.  Nova Pioneer Eldoret Girls  is proud of its commitment to honoring and appreciating the diverse backgrounds of its students and staff.

As such, they hosted their annual High School Heritage Day, a cherished event that brings together the entire school community to showcase and embrace the vibrant tapestry of cultures represented within their walls. This event offers an opportunity for cultural exchange, fosters inclusivity and builds a strong sense of identity.

Nova Pioneer Eldoret Girls students had a golden chance to proudly display their cultural heritage. Our budding innovators and leaders shared the richness of their customs and traditions, from traditional attire to authentic cuisine.

The 2023 event buzzed with a lively atmosphere as students, and school staff  showcased artifacts, photographs and interactive displays representing their respective cultures. This showcase of cultural pride allows our Novaneers to appreciate their own heritage whilst also learning about the diversity of their peers’ backgrounds. Our students also had the chance to engage in meaningful cross-cultural interactions. 

Heritage Day is a tool that enables the school community to dedicatedly live up to our mission of building lasting connections among the leaders and innovators who will shape the future of Africa.  Through this, they are able to gain firsthand knowledge of different customs, traditions and practices through engaging presentations, performances and exhibitions.

The annual celebrations enable students to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for cultural diversity, breaking down stereotypes and fostering empathy.  It encourages dialogue and fosters a spirit of curiosity and becomes a catalyst for building bridges of understanding between individuals from diverse backgrounds.

Heritage Days don’t simply focus on traditional meals and coverings but also are an immense educational experience where students are encouraged to research and present on their cultural heritage, honing their research skills and public speaking abilities.

The event allows Nova Pioneer to incorporate multiculturalism into the curriculum, providing students with an interactive learning experience that expands their knowledge base and nurtures global awareness. We equip our students with the skills necessary to thrive in an increasingly interconnected world by fostering critical thinking and intercultural competence during the preparation and presentation sessions.

The winner of the 2023 edition was Hafsa Tunny Nasser. Join us in celebrating her as the reigning queen . She has begun her journey to becoming a leader in a globalized society. This is a good and true example of how our students develop leadership skills, teamwork, and an understanding of the importance of cultural sensitivity through their active participation and engagement during Heritage Day.

These qualities are invaluable in today’s world, where collaboration and respect for diverse perspectives are crucial. We equip our students with the tools needed to be active contributors to their communities and ambassadors of cultural understanding with the goal of building a harmonious future.

 

Our six culture principles have been at the forefront of building this great community through a strong and positive culture since inception. Our culture principles which include Joy of Learning, Greater Together, Servant Leadership, Always Growing, Solutions First and High Expectations are our guiding values when it comes to character development in our students. The culture principles also play a role in unifying the community across all our schools including Nova Pioneer Eldoret which is also our newest campus in Kenya!

 

Importance of community contemplation

 

Developing a sense of community has been paramount in creating opportunities for us to connect with our growing school community. At the end of every term, we all take time to reflect. Community contemplation is our end of term reflection where we all take a step back to interact and outline the roles the culture principles and the impact it has had on our lives. 

The Nova Pioneer Eldoret community that comprises parents, students and the school team took their time to reflect on one of our greatest culture principles and what it truly means to live it out in their daily lives. What a better way to do this than connecting to learn and grow from each other, both young and old!

Through community contemplation we’ve received the support of our parents, interacted more with our students and shared experiences together. Having this open bond is what has helped us to build a valuable relationship with our parents and thus given us a deeper sense of belonging. Through this, we’ve created a safe space to share knowledge from each other and this has influenced how we coexist together at Nova Pioneer Eldoret.

 

Solutions First within the community

 

Wendell Pierce stated that, “The role of culture is that it’s the form through which we as a society reflect on who we are, where we’ve been and where we hope to be.” The exciting interaction that virtually connected our parents, students and school team was such an enlightening experience that allowed us to contemplate on our culture principle of Solutions First.

Solutions First which is a personal favourite encourages us to be solutions seekers when we encounter problems. This principle challenges everyone to think critically and creatively on how to solve a problem. It encourages no to allow ourselves to be part of the problem but rather the solution. Through this, we are motivated to not concentrate on the problems around us but rather inspired to look for other alternatives.

It was lovely hearing our parent’s contribution to this discussion. They pointed out the need to shift to a positive mindset in order to see the opportunities around us. At a time where there’s so much uncertainty and the need to quickly shift mindsets, this was an exciting moment to hear of some of the ways in which they have quickly had to adjust in order to survive.

Samuel Birech, the Nova Pioneer Eldoret Boys Secondary school president spiked the need to work as a team since a problem shared is often a problem half-solved and eventually has homegrown solutions to problems.

As Martha Tubei our Nova Pioneer Eldoret Girls Secondary school leader often says, “without a culture, a society is lost.” This was truly an educative session. 

 

Join us

 

Interested in joining the Nova Pioneer Eldoret community? Feel free to contact Sheilla via admissions.ke@novapioneer.com or 0703421670. We look forward to you, yes, you being in touch.  🙂