International Night in Wethersfield
Features Marketplaces to Benefit
Guatemalan and Haïtian Children
Students at Silas Deane Middle School in Wethersfield celebrated International Night on March 9. Organized by World Language classes and teachers, the evening events started with opportunities to sample international cuisine from 27 different countries. Food was prepared by students and their families and served in the cafeteria, beautifully decorated with flags, flowers and “welcome” signs in numerous languages.
Prior to the formal evening program, attendees were invited to shop at the “mercado guatemalteco” and the “marché haïtien”. Items for sale at these markets were authentic handmade articles from Guatemala and Haiti. All proceeds benefit the children at Hogar Nuevos Horizontes, a women and children’s shelter in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala and at the Centre Saint Vincent, a school for physically disabled children in Port-au-Prince, Haïti.
The program featured a “traditional dress” fashion show which included clothing from Poland, Greece, Ireland, Taiwan, Japan, India, Israel, Mexico, Guatemala, Saudi Arabia and Ghana. Poetry recitations showcased students’ language abilities in French, Spanish, Hebrew, Polish, Greek, Portuguese, and Chinese. The audience enjoyed various musical numbers: Irish step dancing, flute solo, traditional dance of India, Irish folk dancing and a spritely medley on the tin whistle.
As a finale, students carried flags from every country of the world in the World Peace Flag Ceremony. Victoria Christgau, a singer/peace educator and Master Teaching Artist with the Connecticut Commission on the Arts led the audience in a moving ceremony of solidarity with all peoples of the earth.
World Language teachers at Silas Deane Middle are Ellen Brookes, Janet Picerno, Patricia McGrath and Rosemary Roy.
