Fil-Am Youth Showcases Heritage in Filipino Cultural School Graduation
(Clockwise from top left) The “Sanga” class perform the Kappa Malong Malong; The “Binhi” class perform the Gaway-Gaway; The Filipino Cultural School (FCS) Class of 2019 sing the FCS theme song. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
LOS ANGELES 13 September 2019 – The Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles joined the 54th Summer Graduation of the Filipino Cultural School (FCS) on 18 August 2019 at the New Life Community Church in Artesia.
Displaying lessons learned from the summer program, almost a hundred students performed dances, songs, and Filipino martial arts through the show entitled “Ating Kwento” (Our Story). The children were divided into different age groups such as “Binhi” (seed), “Ugat” (roots), “Tangkay” (stem), “Sanga” (branch), and “Sampaguita” (flower). These names were used as metaphors of the growth and development of young Filipinos’ understanding of their Filipino heritage and culture.
The FCS is a summer program geared towards the preservation and promotion of Philippine heritage and culture. The program was established by the Sampaguita Women’s Circle, Inc. of Los Angeles, an organization focused on providing a creative space for the Filipino youth in the United States to discover and understand their heritage.
Among the guests in the graduation program were Artesia council member Melissa Ramoso, some members of the original Sampaguita Women’s Circle, FCS alumni, and parents of the graduates who have also volunteered for the program. END
Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles Vice Consul Joan Macrise C. Corrado (second from left) represents the Consulate General with (from left) Councilmember Melissa Ramoso, Jun Aglipay, and FCS Board Cindy Szendzial, Christian Torres, Polly Dela Rosa, and Dr. Mary Lacanlale. (Los Angeles PCG photo)
For more information, visit https://www.philippineconsulatela.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinLA/.