By GENEA NOEL

Freeport News Reporter

Miniature Cleopatras and Pharaohs pranced about the grounds of The Bishop Mic-hael Eldon Primary School Division yesterday as the school was transformed into an Egyptian Empire that included everything from the Nile River to ancient Pyramids.

The students and teachers showed off their Egyptian-inspired costumes and it was sheer excitement as the whole school brought their interpretation of Egypt to life. The students and staff hosted "Egyptian Day" to commence a month-long study of the North African country.

Vice Principal of the Primary School Tanya Bowe, who was fully regaled in a Cleopatra ensemble, was elated with the general response from the students and the involvement of the staff to make this day a great success.

"The teachers and parents offered artifacts, languages, fun facts and many other cultural notions to make this experience complete," said Bowe. Navigating from class to class, each group briefly shared some of their Egyptian experiences.

The project, which included the participation of the entire school, took months to get into action. Coordinatior of the event, Erin Courdes, got the idea from a British-American School which they visited sometime last year in North Carolina.

Using the thematic teaching approach, Courdes felt that it was a great idea to incorporate the school's curriculum and focus it on one country.

"All of our subjects tie into the theme of Egypt. Egypt was chosen because of its rich culture and its imaginative possibilities," said Courdes. "Most students at the school will probably never have a chance to visit Egypt. This way they can experience it for themselves."

The students were mostly interested in the history, currency and style of clothing of the country, coordinator Monique Dieufaite said. "They took great delight in learning about the past and present of Egypt, including hieroglyphs and mummies," she said.

This project, which in-volved all grade levels, did face some difficulties.

"Finding resources was one of our biggest problems," said teacher Eishenhower Williams. "With Egypt being so far away, it was hard to get primary sources for the project. Next time the school will probably focus on a country that has a closer proximity to the Bahamas."

Even though the school does emphasize The Bahamas and the Caribbean as an important area to study, they also feel it necessary to expose children to different cultures.

"We want our students to be well-rounded and have a greater appreciation for other cultures," Bowe said.

The school plans to explore other countries each year.

According to Bowe, coincidentally, one student from Bishop Michael Eldon is visiting Egypt on a personal matter, and the school waits in anticipation for their return. Then can they receive a first-hand account on the historical country that they have eagarly studied.

The teachers at Bishop Michael Eldon Primary hope that other academic institutions in the area will try this hands-on thematic approach to teaching. They want all Grand Bahamian students to share in a worldwide journey through education and imagination.