With its gymnasium halfway full, Riverdale Elementary School hosted its annual Multicultural Night last night, which included two performances by the six exchange teachers from Guatemala, George E. Peters Adventist School steel drum band and dances and a song by Riverdale students and a teacher.

"This event keeps getting bigger and better every year, " said Riverdale Elementary School Principal Carol Cantu.

The multicultural event is hosted every year during National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is from September 15^th to October 15^th.  With more than sixty percent of its students Hispanic, the event celebrates the Hispanic culture as well as other distinct backgrounds.

This year's performances included Mexican and Guatemalan dances, a Filipino song and a steel drum band from GE Peters Adventist School representing the Caribbean culture

"The Filipino song and the steel drums brought a different sound and that is what we are about – bringing other cultures to this event," said Cantu.

Prior to the event, parents and family members were given informational flyers and encouraged to bring a dish from their native country. When last night's performances ended, students and families headed to the back tables and ate food from different countries around the world.

Lisa McManus of Riverdale Park has two children at Riverdale Elementary School and this was her second time attending Multicultural Night.

"It was really good, "McManus said. "There were more performances this year from a variety of different places."

Not only does the event bring students and families together, but it also brings the community together. Riverdale Elementary School's Bilingual Parent Community Outreach Assistant Neftali Ortiz said the occasion is a way to unify the neighborhood of Riverdale Park.

"This day is very entertaining and neighbors are able to meet and talk to each other," Ortiz said. "It makes the community a little closer. "

This year's event included a special performance by the six visiting teachers from Guatemala. They performed a traditional Guatemalan folk dance and they replicated a Mayan ceremony. After they performed their final dance, they presented Cantu with an award expressing their appreciation for the teacher-exchange experience.

Today is the Guatemalan teachers' final day of observation at Riverdale Elementary School and Beltsville Academy.  They will spend the next eight days with their families and the Ipaltecos Ausentes, a group of Ipalans who live in Riverdale Park, before heading back to Ipala, Guatemala on the 22^nd.

As Cantu simply put it, "The Guatemalan teachers and the steel drum band made the mood. "