Thursday, October 1, 2026
As part of the Summer “Water” Workshop, Long Beach elementary students visited City Hall on Thursday, August 19 to float their hand-crafted lanterns.
City Manager Charles Theofan welcomed the group of youngsters, whose artistic talents were utilized to make decorated Japanese style lanterns that could float in the fountain at Kennedy Plaza. The lanterns, made during Cultural Consultant Rosa Maria Goeller’s arts and culture program, used the theme of water to represent different points of view such as ecology, science, geography, diverse cultures, etc.
The children made the lanterns with rice paper, decorated with colorful paper flowers set on foam plates. “Placing the lanterns into the fountain symbolizes the Japanese custom that good thoughts are entering the water,” said Goeller.
The students from grades 2 through 5, are enrolled in the Long Beach City School District's Dual/ESL Language Summer Program.
They each read aloud from their “Water Declaration” proclaiming the importance of protecting our ecology for future generations.
