2005 CT COLT Rhyme Celebration
“Hello to the Children of the World”
2005: The Year of Languages
by Christi Moraga
Congratulations to all the children, teachers, administrators and parents who have celebrated fourteen languages of the world at the Fourteenth Annual CT COLT Rhyme Celebration on March 2. This is a very special year since it has been designated nationally and in our state of Connecticut, by the Honorable Governor Jodi Rell, as “2005: The Year of Languages.” This event is for Connecticut children to share on stage the languages they are learning in public schools, private schools, heritage schools and at home. Students represented pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School was the proud host welcoming guests from 31 schools of 20 districts. It took place at Kennedy High School in Waterbury.
The theme for the 2005 CT COLT Rhyme Celebration is “Hello to All the Children of the World.” As the children arrived, they posted the word “hello” in the language they are learning on a mural depicting multicultural children, prepared by students of Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School. They ate snacks in the cafeteria and then went into the auditorium to get settled for the grand event. After welcoming greetings by the organizers and dignitaries, some very young students from the host school presented a warm-up rhyme in English of “Where is Thumbkin?” Then, the fourth and fifth grade chorus paraded in with flags from around the world to present the theme song of “Hello to All the Children of the World.”
The twenty delegations each came on stage with their world language teachers to present the rhymes that they have memorized. Most of the rhymes are about greetings and farewells. Some are first-time “hello’s” when you meet someone new. Others are ways to greet family members at different times of the day. Likewise, there is a variety in the farewells, since parting is a very “sweet sorrow.” Children interpreted their parts, not only through spoken language, but also through movement, props, and costumes. The choreography is prepared by the teachers, along with input from the students themselves. The ultimate message is that learning a language is positive and we can meet children from many different backgrounds who come from around the world.
The fourteen languages represented at the Rhyme Celebration this year are:
Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, English (ESOL),
French, German, Greek, Irish Gaelic, Italian,
Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, and
Telugu.
The host school, Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School, has a Japanese Program that begins with pre-schoolers and goes through fifth grade. The two Japanese teachers were the Rhyme Celebration Hosts: Jessica Haxhi and Kazumi Yamashita. The Maloney Interdistrict PTO has graciously supported financially with supplies, food, and decorations this year, both financially and with volunteers! The host school coordinated efforts with Christi Moraga, Rhyme Celebration Chairperson, and the sponsoring organization CT Council of Language Teachers. 2005: The Year of Languages was launched by ACTFL (American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.) For more information, go to www.ctcolt.org and www.yearoflanguages.org .
2005 Schools Participating in Rhyme Celebration
AL = Albanian AR = Arabic CH = Chinese ESOL = English for Speakers of Other Languages FR = French IR GA = Irish Gaelic GE = German GK = Greek IT = Italian JA = Japanese KO = Korean POR = Portuguese SP = Spanish TE = Telugu
Host School Maloney Interdistrict Magnet presented Warm-up Rhyme & Theme Song
Farmington: West Woods Upper Elementary (SP-FR-KO-IR GA- IT- TE)
Glastonbury: Buttonball, Eastbury, Naubuc, Hopewell, Hebron Ave. ( SP)
East Hartford-Glastonbury Magnet School (JA)
Simsbury: Tootin’ Hills and Squadron Line (SP)
Madison Private: Our Lady of Mercy (FR)
West Hartford Private: Renbrook School ( Mandarin CH)
Hartford Private: Brazilian Cultural Center (Brazilian POR)
Manchester Private: Das Kleine Schulhaus (GE)
Bloomfield Private: The German School of Connecticut (GE)
Willington: Hall Memorial School (SP)
Manchester: Nathan Hale ( SP- AL)
West Hartford: Norfeldt and Charter Oak (FR – SP)
Meriden: Washington Middle (ESOL-SP-KO- AR)
Old Saybrook: Old Saybrook Middle and Kathleen Goodwin (FR)
Marlborough: Elmer Thienes (SP-GK)
Washington: Washington Primary (SP)
Bridgewater: Burnham School (SP)
Roxbury: Booth Free School (SP)
Windsor Locks: South Elementary School (SP –POR)
Westport: King’s Highway Elementary School, Greens Farms School, Long Lots School, Coleytown Elementary School (SP)
Waterbury: Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School (JA –AL)
