Advent around the world: Hua Siong’s festive Christmas Village circles the globe

From Hong Kong to Mexico to Sierra Leone, Christmas trees are the quintessential Yuletide symbol, instantly recognizable whatever one’s culture or customs may be.

This is precisely why for their very first Christmas Village Making Contest festivities, the Hua Siong Grade School Department paid tribute to this classic holiday icon by jet-setting around the world with its festive displays.

With the theme “Christmas Around the World,” Phoenix Graders – joined and aided by their parents – took to decorating cheery trees and classrooms in the spirit of Christmas, all the while paying tribute to different key cities around the world – among them Thailand, France, Canada, Mexico, Germany, Nigeria, and of course the Philippines.

“We wanted to establish a strong home and school relationship through this endeavor,” said Teacher Toni Uy, the overall head of the Phoenix Graders, one of the leading Filipino-Chinese institutions in the heart of Iloilo City. “The sight of the parents working hand in hand with the teachers is one proof that the goal of this project was achieved. The end product of this is for our learners’ benefit.”

With diverse Christmas decors and creative designs, Hua Siong Grade School Department’s Christmas Village showcases the resourcefulness and craftsmanship of its learners – encouraged to use recycled materials like plastic bottles and scrap wood. Among the standouts is Grade 1 – Atis’ display dedicated to wonderful Hong Kong, paying homage to its main attraction Disneyland with reused plush toys of popular Disney characters.

Another section recreated the dazzling lights of Singapore’s Gardens By The Bay, even building a miniature of the Singapore Flyer observation wheel, while a different group also assembled a stunning Eiffel Tower out of plastic bottles.

“We used different recyclable materials available in our community,” said Mrs. Arguelles, Vice President of the Parents – Teachers Association (PTA) of the Elementary Department. “We just enhanced them to be more creative. But these are all products of our collaboration. Each parent contributed ideas that can really make our work stands out.”

“It takes a village to raise a child. We really do believe in this mantra,” said Mrs. Pauline Camandillo, one of the Grade 1 parents. “That’s why we collaborate. Despite of expenses coming from our pocket, it’s really fulfilling in our part. We contributed to the betterment of our beloved institution. And the fact that it’s Christmas time.”