East Irondequoit CSD Lancer Pride
Ivan Green Primary School is in their third year of the 'I am' project which helps students learn about their classmates' names with the greater goal of fostering community and inclusivity throughout the school. This year, students read the book 'My Name is a Song' by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow. This book is about a little girl who comes home from school frustrated that her teachers and classmates mispronounce her name. Through the story, the girl's mother teaches her about the musicality of African, Asian, Black-American, Latinx, and Middle Eastern names, which empowers her daughter to return to school the next day to teach her peers and teacher about the history, beauty, and magic behind her name.
With this sentiment in mind, students took home their 'I am' projects to work on with their families. Students in Mrs. Swartz's class came together in a community circle and told stories of what their name meant, why their family chose that name, or the special connection their name has to their family. Sharing their names helped classmates learn more about each other, and especially helped students better understand English Language Learners' names and appreciate the cultures that everyone comes from.
East Irondequoit Middle School teachers Mrs. Odrzywolski (Oski) and Mrs. Sanchez created a unique writing assignment for their 8th-grade students that later inspired the idea of a memory feast. Students were tasked with writing about a memory that was attached to food. Mrs. Oski and Sanchez encouraged students to use sensory details and dialogue to draw readers in and engage them. As students submitted their drafts, conversations started about the foods they were writing about. Many students were shocked when their peers or teachers hadn’t tried or heard of the food they were writing about. From these conversations grew this idea of having a memory feast. Students, families, and staff were invited to bring in foods from their cultures and memories to share with the group after school. Mrs. Oski and Sanchez found that hosting this feast not only honored the students’ family relationships and cultural traditions, but also helped students and staff get to know each other better. Overall, there were over 50 students who attended the memory feast, with over 15 families that volunteered to make food from their student’s memory. The students’ excitement to share their family recipes with everyone was felt throughout the room that day. This writing assignment turned cultural event will surely be added to the students’ favorable memories of their time at EI Middle School.
Eastridge High School students and staff gathered in the cafeteria on October 12th to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. There were many displays set up around the room to educate visitors about various foods, information, and traditions of different Hispanic cultures. Students and staff enjoyed flan and the different ways coffee is served or chocolate is used in different cultures. Many students and staff tried the empanadas and learned how to decorate sugar skulls. The dance studio Dancing Crowns gave a dance and percussion demonstration and invited everyone to join in. The event enabled students and staff to educate others about their culture or a culture they researched and to connect with their peers and teachers through the celebration.
Last May, Mrs. McQuay's choir students were visited by Representation Matters, a group of teaching artists looking to educate secondary students about BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) composers and their influence on classical music. Eastridge High School was lucky enough to host this group of educators and watch their performances. The group of teaching artists was featured in the Fall 2022 edition of Friends of Eastman Opera. In the article, one of the teaching artists, Brittney Bryanna Burgess, who also student taught at Eastridge in 2018, remarked that she enjoyed seeing her former students connecting to the music and asking tough questions like "how can we bring about change?". Teaching Artist Raffi Wright remarked that he was taken aback by Mrs. McQuay's love for her students and her passion for educating her students about underrepresented composers. Madelin Morales, a first-generation Cuban American, said she loved seeing the students engaged in the music and asking thoughtful questions about BIPOC composers. She enjoyed sharing the music of her Latino heritage with the students. To read all about Representation Matters and their educational mission and visit to Eastridge High School, pick up the Fall 2022 edition of Friends of Eastman Opera.
