At Leo F. Giblyn School’s International Day, students
celebrated the cultural diversity of their Freeport community with songs,
dances, crafts and foods from all over the world.
Echoing the theme of this magnet school--A Passport to Learning-- International
Day helps students appreciate different cultures through hands-on experiences
that bring these cultures to life.
One of the key events of the day was the Ellis
Island Experience,
where students got to experience the inspection process that turn-of-the-century
immigrants went through at Ellis Island. Teachers acting as “examiners”,
made students present passports and paperwork, and pass mock physical
and psychiatric exams before they were “admitted” to the
country.
Students also got to create colorful Adinkra T-Shirts, using traditional
dying technique from Ghana.
The activities of the day culminated in an International Luncheon
featuring favorite foods and desserts from Italy, Spain, Greece, France,
Jamaica, Mexico and many other countries—all donated by parents
and local merchants. Giblyn School shared the International Day festivities
with dozens of guests from New York State, Nassau County, Town of Hempstead
and Village of Freeport government offices, and a host of administrators
and board members from the Freeport School District.
At the luncheon, students dressed in costumes representing their
own ethnic backgrounds, sang songs and made speeches celebrating our
nation’s
foundation in democracy and diversity. One speech summed up the message
of the day, “We have the most wonderful country in the world.
We treasure our rights of freedom and democracy. The USA welcomes everyone.
We are truly international.”
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