On the Friday morning before spring break, the Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School gymnasium was unusually quiet, despite being filled with sixth graders. Heads were bent in concentration, hands carefully shaping colored paper petals, and conversations were hushed as students created traditional Korean lotus lanterns, each one unique, thoughtful, and connected to centuries of tradition.

The Lotus Lantern Workshop, now in its ninth year at PVC, is part of a learning experience led in partnership with the Korean Spirit & Cultural Promotion Project (KSCPP), a nonprofit international organization dedicated to promoting awareness and understanding of Korean history and heritage. The program invites students to see education as more than academic learning, encouraging them to explore values, history, and global perspectives through hands-on experiences.

Students began the morning by watching a short film introducing Hongik Ingan (홍익인간), Korea’s 4,000-year-old founding philosophy meaning “to broadly benefit the human world” or “make the world a better place.” The concept emphasizes compassion, community, and living with purpose. The middle schoolers also learned about Hangul, the Korean alphabet, adding another layer of context to the experience.

From there, the gym transformed into a calm, collaborative workspace, where sixth graders created lovely lotus flower lanterns using colored paper and wire frames provided by KSCPP. The lotus flower holds deep significance across many Asian cultures, symbolizing purity, enlightenment, and renewal as it rises clean and beautiful from muddy waters. Lantern traditions are often associated with celebrations and festivals, where illuminated lotus flowers represent hope, wisdom, and compassion.

Students selected the colors of their lotus lantern petals, each carrying symbolic meaning. Pink represented enlightenment, often associated with the supreme lotus. Purple reflected spirituality and deeper understanding, while red symbolized selfless love, compassion, and the original state of the heart.

As the lanterns took shape, the atmosphere became almost meditative.

“One of my students told me that he found the activity to be very calming,” said sixth grade teacher Jennifer Rescigno. “It’s arts and crafts fused with history. This tradition started nine years ago when we wanted to do something that connected to our social studies curriculum on the Eastern Hemisphere. Learning about how other cultures outside of our world are so kind and so giving is really special.”

Local chapter volunteers from the Korean Spirit & Cultural Promotion Project, Chloe Gwon, Kyung Pak, Yongsook Han, Hyunja Kim, and Joehyun Lee, dressed in traditional Korean attire, circulated throughout the gym, offering guidance and insights as students worked. A table by the front entrance featured books about Korean history and heritage, available for students to explore and take home.

For many students, the experience felt thoughtful and personal.

Mirabel and Jules admired their finished lanterns, carefully holding the delicate paper petals in place.

“I chose the color purple because I like the meaning behind it and because it’s a pretty color,” said Jules.

“The activity was a ten out of ten,” added Mirabel, who chose pink. “I liked learning what the colors meant while we were making them. I think it’s going to look really nice in my room.”

Several students shared that they were looking forward to placing LED lights inside their lanterns, excited to see their handmade creations glow at home.

The sixth graders gathered on the bleachers, proudly showing their lanterns shaped by history and symbolism. Each one reflected not only a long-standing tradition, but also the thoughtfulness of the student who made it.

By the end of the session, gratitude flowed both ways, with students and volunteers sharing “오늘 함께해 주셔서 감사합니다 (Oneul hamkkehae jusyeoseo gamsahamnida),” meaning thank you for being with us today. The phrase reflected the shared experience that unfolded throughout the morning.

It served as a quiet but powerful reminder that learning can extend beyond textbooks, inviting students to explore history and global perspectives in ways that feel tangible, authentic, and colorful.