On Saturday, December 7^th from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Horizons-on-the-Hudson Magnet School invited the Newburgh community to join the school family for a day of fun at their Ninth Annual Community Book Fair and Multicultural Festival. It was a very special day spent together at our school.

HOH School Librarian Michell Jumpp always plans this incredible event, which has become a family tradition for so many over the years. Mrs. Jumpp’s passion for bringing people together and celebrating many holiday and cultural traditions was evident in her thoughtful planning of the festivities. The event also embodied the International Baccalaureate (IB) principle of celebrating our community as well as our broader world. It’s all-hands-on-deck for this event, and made possible by many loving volunteers: scholars, parents, teachers, alumni, community members, and this year, international student teachers from China! 

The HOH Auditeria was abuzz with activity like gingerbread house making, face painting, and arts and crafts throughout the day. Teachers, scholars, and families took turns on the stage reading various holiday books. Music teacher Kristina Martorano lead an international holiday sing-a-long. 

Our featured guest author was Susannah Leonard Hill, who's children’s book Moon’s First Friends was a New York Times best seller. She loved seeing our scholars read on stage and even invited one of them to help her with her own book reading!

The HOH PTO ran a full book fair in the Pre-K hallway, where many treasures could be found.

A wonderful addition to the event this year was a large Vendor Fair! As a fundraiser for the 5th grade, teacher Jasmine Amaro organized a lovely holiday shopping experience! 

Mrs. Jumpp's daughter Micah a student at SUNY Binghamton along with several Binghamton student teachers from China hosted a calligraphy station, where guests could have their name painted in Mandarin. One of the student teachers also treated the crowd to a Chinese theatre performance. 

Visitors also enjoyed additional performances by the Newburgh Performing Arts Academy dancer and NFA student Khaliah Solomon, a colorful show by Danzantes Unidos de Newburgh (Newburgh Folkloric Dancers) featuring three of HOH's very own students, and a lively end to the day with Mariachi Viva Mexico!

In the teachers' lounge we opened an international café where visitors could enjoy food from various corners of the world. Families donated homemade tamales, pan, pastries, and more. Jamaican specialties and pizza were donated by wonderful community restaurants.

It was a wonderful way to end the year!

Photos and story provided by Ms. Kate Clarke from the HOH PTO.