How Hidden Oaks K–8 Turned the Holiday Season Into a Global Learning Experience

Last December, Hidden Oaks K–8 School in Florida became a vibrant showcase of global learning and future-ready skills in action. Known for its annual transformation of the main stairwell into the Polar Express, the school made a thoughtful decision last year to shift its focus in a way that better reflected its identity as a Global Leaders school. 

The result was Holidays Around the World, a schoolwide project that took creativity and cultural celebration to a whole new level. Classrooms and hallways became immersive learning spaces, filled with art, student voices, and stories from around the globe, as each grade explored how holidays are celebrated in different parts of the world.

Hidden Oaks’ initiative is an excellent example of how schools can use global learning to connect academic goals with meaningful, real-world experiences that inspire students, build the skills most needed in their future careers, and strengthen community bonds.

Check out this video to see last year’s Holidays Around the World displays at Hidden Oaks!

Connecting Project-Based Learning to Global Competencies

After receiving a grant to support project-based learning (PBL) initiatives, Hidden Oaks educators designed a hands-on, schoolwide experience that encouraged students to explore world cultures through art. Each grade level selected a holiday to research, including Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year, and Christmas in different countries.

Students collaborated to turn their discoveries into art installations, filling every hallway with color and curiosity. “Student work is the primary decoration for these hallways,” said the school’s Participate Learning strategy coach. “[The teachers] do a great job of tracking student curiosity and demonstrating learning while creating an immersive experience for those who walk the halls in December.”

Beyond cultural exploration, this project strengthened a wide range of essential career skills, which, at Participate Learning, we refer to as global competencies: communication, critical thinking, collaboration, valuing differences, intercultural understanding, and global connection. 

These competencies are foundational for both academic success and career readiness, and students practiced them authentically as they researched holiday traditions, created their displays, and shared their learning with the school community. As the strategy coach observed, students could clearly explain what they learned and connect each celebration to the universal experiences behind it.

A Schoolwide Celebration of Curiosity and Connection

The immersive displays at Hidden Oaks reflect creativity and demonstrate rigorous learning, as well as community pride. From handmade ornaments inspired by unique Christmas traditions, like Australian beach barbecues and paper kinaras representing the seven principles of Kwanzaa, each piece tells a story of research and reflection. This whole-school approach turns seasonal joy into a unifying global learning experience.

“I was so impressed with the depth of knowledge across K–8 on their individual holidays and how well it brought intercultural understanding and valuing differences to the surface,” said the strategy coach. “They made sure each learning activity displayed had connected [global] competencies, and it was clear how students made those connections based on what they learned.”

How Other Schools Can Launch a Holiday Project That Builds Career Skills

Hidden Oaks shows what’s possible when schools incorporate global learning into their existing traditions. Here are a few ideas to spark your own globally themed schoolwide event to nurture the skills students will carry into their careers: 

• Empower student creators. Make student work the centerpiece of the celebration. Ownership leads to deeper engagement and authentic pride.
• Integrate global competencies. Connect each lesson to skills like empathy, collaboration, and valuing differences.
• Use art as an entry point. Visual storytelling helps learners of all ages grasp cultural concepts.
• Engage your community. Host a “global gallery walk” to invite families to experience student learning firsthand.
• Build on success each year. Expand the range of cultures and celebrations to foster ongoing curiosity and inclusion.
  

Global Learning That Lasts Beyond the Season

What started as a seasonal project became something much more: a meaningful way for students to practice real-world skills while learning about cultures beyond their own. Students made decisions, worked as a team, solved problems, and shared what they learned with others. These are the same skills they’ll need to succeed in school and in their future jobs.

As a partner in this work, Participate Learning is proud to support schools like Hidden Oaks in making global learning part of everyday instruction, helping students see the world and themselves in new ways.

Looking for more examples of global learning in action? Read about our other Global Leaders partner schools on our interactive Impact Hub or on the blog!