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Image provided by: Guilderland Public Library
16 rfteA^njM^EiM&Br^ .. Middle-schoolers dance, .-\ft fy. :'-^'i '}•'; The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer A Macedonian wedding dance is one of many dances that were performed Friday at Farnsworth Middle School's Seneca House as part of its Diversity Celebration. (Continued from Page lj might say racially or ethnically derogatory things. This is a way to get them to appreciate differ- ences,\ she said of the celebra- tion; such appreciation is to stem the slurs. Gesturing the length of the hallway, which took in a flurry of activities and foods, Tubbs con- cluded, \The kids did it all.\ \We're all here in America\ Desks were moved aside in double rooms, so that dances from different countries could be demonstrated. In one room, an Asian woman in a bright yellow, polka-dotted skirt deconstructed the fla- menco, so students could see the different movements that make up the Spanish dance with Flemish roots. She clicked the castanets on her right hand, describing the high sound as female. Then she clicked the castanets on her left hand, describing the low sound as male. Finally, she put the two together, slowly at first, so the distinct sounds could be heard, then, faster and faster she clicked in a staccato, cascading rhythm. She was followed by a band of girls performing a Macedonian dance. The dance, said a bright-eyed, brown-haired girl with silver spangles girdling her hips, would be performed before or during a wedding. The girls clapped as one, and then joined hands and moved with grace in an undu- lating line. In another room, a lively trio — two boys and a girl — per- formed a calypso dance from Antigua. The trio then got the crowd of watching students to their feet to join in a Conga line that cir- cled the room. At first, one or two students had to be coaxed from the sidelines. One of the trio — the girl, in a cap with a necktie over her shirt —jpulled a friend from the crowd. Another of the trio — a boy in a Stetson, also with a necktie over an un- tucked shirt — did likewise. Soon, most of the kids in the room had joined in the dance; so had some of the adults. the circle of African drums con- tinued to punctuate the conver- sation, kids chatted over the food tables as they sampled what each other had brought. One mother, of Turkish heri- tage, noted that desserts domi- nated. She had wanted to bake spanikopita, she said, but her daughter told her no one would want to eat spinach, so she in- 'The kids did it all.' \I'm glad I'm not a teacher,\ commented the mother of one of the students. \I'd kill 'em all,\ she said with a laugh, as the energy level in the room rose with the music. Seventh-grader Casey Cole, who watched from the sidelines, carefully noted what she was stead made baklava , a dessert of paper-thin layers of pastry, chopped nuts, and honey. Eighth-grader Jenna Lewanda brought in Jewish challah bread that her family sometimes eats for Shabbat, the Jewish Sab- bath, a day of rest, holiness, and joy. 'I've learned about different countries and different things they do, but we're all here in America... It's really kind of cool.' witnessing in a pamphlet that she and the other students car- ried with them. The paper had flags of different countries, and spaces to write what had been observed and learned. Cole said she was enjoying the day. \I've learned about different countries and different things they do, but we're all here in America...It's really kind of cool,\ she said. Out in the hallway, as the rhythms from students playing Brooke McCullen, a sixth- grader, brought in Irish soda bread that her family has at par- ties, she said. Chelsea Donnelly, who has^ been McCullen's friend since third grade, shares her Irish heritage. Both girls were enthusiastic, about the diversity celebration. * \You get to watch people dance, and eat food,\ said McCullen. \It's just fun,\ said Donnelly. The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer Is this the United Nations? Students at Seneca House were asked in late January to make a flag thcitbest represented their family's country of origin. Brooke McCullen, a sixth-grader at Farnsworth Middle School, points out the Irish flag she made. The Enterprise — Melissa Hale-Spencer Table of plenty: Jenna Lewanda, an eighth-grader at Seneca House in Farnsworth Middle School, prepares to sample some of the foods from cultures around the world contributed by her class- mates. She brought in, challah bread, which her family some- times eats for Shabbat, the Jewish Sabbath. The foods came from places ranging from the Barbados to the Ukraine. <* —,—_.„^„ r7 ^,. ftft?!*5*
