LPS families form new friendships during outdoor festival celebration

May 15, 2025

Lincoln Public Schools families made the message of the famous song “It’s a Small World” come to life this spring at a joyful community festival.
 
Lincoln residents gathered at Antelope Park for the 2025 Family Literacy Festival. LPS Federal Programs oversees the school district’s family literacy program, which supports both parents and children in developing strong literacy skills. Organizers held the event outdoors for the first time this year after previously hosting it in Lincoln High’s gym.
 
Culler Middle School seventh grader Misael was one of 175 people who met new friends, listened to cultural music and played fun games. He began the day tossing bags onto a cornhole board with younger family members. He said the festival was a good chance to expand his list of friends from across the city.
 
“It’s important to bring everyone together,” Misael said.
 
Monica Asher beamed as she watched families share smiles with each other near the Auld Pavilion bandshell. Asher is the LPS Federal Programs family engagement coordinator and spoke with many people throughout the two-hour event. Nine local agencies set up informational booths, jugglers taught their trade to children and many students participated in three cultural dances on stage.
 
Asher said the festival gave families a way to make valuable connections with each other. The family literacy program serves people from Belmont, Campbell, Clinton, Elliott, Everett, Hartley, McPhee, Prescott and West Lincoln elementary schools and Culler Middle School. Families from all ten locations came to Antelope Park after learning about the event in their classes.
 
“It’s such a rewarding experience for parents to see the size and impact of this program across the district,” Asher said. “Families often comment on how meaningful it is to connect with others and see the larger community they’re a part of.”
 
Stacy Muffler, a family literacy specialist with LPS Federal Programs, has worked with Lincoln residents for three years. She helps parents and children learn about American culture and customs and how to speak and write English. Parents commit to two hours of learning each day during the school year, gaining English language skills and tools to support their child’s education. They identify educational and career goals, attend field trips to city sites and meet fellow adults in the program.
 
Families also participate in Parent and Child Together (PACT) time, which allows parents to join children in their regular classrooms twice a week. They are able to gain a firsthand understanding of the American educational system from their visits. They form stronger bonds with teachers and watch how they lead subjects such as math, reading, science and social studies.
 
“I really love the program,” Muffler said. “It makes such a difference for our families. All of us want to support them and help them in any way we can.”
 
LPS Family Literacy Specialist Raya Al Zuhair made arrangements for the festival. Lincoln Literacy, Linked 2 Literacy, Lux Center for the Arts, Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department, Nebraska Extension, Asian Community and Cultural Center, Lincoln City Libraries, Food Bank of Lincoln and LPS Federal Programs all had representatives at the event, and Lincoln Fire and Rescue brought a fire truck to the parking lot. Families picked up many brochures from each agency about additional cultural and linguistic services that they offer.
 
Zahraa Rida of Nebraska Extension was one of the friendly faces that festivalgoers could speak to. Rida is an extension assistant who supports the Nutrition Education Program (NEP) in Lancaster County. She teaches nutrition classes to both individuals and families from across the area, but she spends a large portion of her time at both Everett and Prescott. She is fluent in English, Arabic and Persian languages.
 
Rida said the festival is important because it provides a place for families to form stronger social networks. Parents of Campbell students who speak Persian, for example, may not realize that people at other schools are also fluent in the language. After they meet at the festival, they can continue their friendships in many other community activities.
 
“I’m so proud of them for being here,” Rida said. “It makes me feel really good to see everyone talking with each other. It’s really rewarding when you know that this is a place where they’re going to make lifelong friends.”
 
The festival also lets children simply have fun. Many students took part in a variety of lawn games in one section of the park and played tag in another wide-open space. A group also learned juggling techniques with items such as hacky sacks. Professional jugglers watched with pride as children kept the items in the air for longer and longer periods of time.
 
One moment that caused many smartphone cameras to come out of pockets and purses happened midway through the event. More than a dozen children went up on stage to sing “It’s a Small World” together. Muffler said the heartwarming scene was a powerful symbol of why the festival is impactful for many LPS families.
 
“This is just a wonderful time for everyone to celebrate together,” Muffler said. “It’s a really fun thing to be a part of.”

Learn more about the Family Literacy Program on our website at https://home.lps.org/federal/family-literacy/.

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