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McKinley students explore family heritage
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor.Avery Blasko (left) and Melanie Black dressed in the traditional clothing of their ancestral homes on Nationality Day, which were Poland and Germany, respectively.
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Elise Cowles (left) prepared her nationality report and her traditional dress on her mother's family, which is Puerto Rican. However, she still appreciates her heritage from her dad, Leon Cowles (right), who has a Scottish background.
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A group of McKinley sixth-graders celebrated in traditional dress on Nationality Day. They were, from left, Elise Cowles (front), Hope Ramsey, Michael Mastoris, Jake Jages, Peter Koulianos (back), Kelsey Thompson, Melanie Black, and Avery Blasko. The students celebrated their backgrounds in Puerto Rico, Hungary, Greece, Croatia, Greece, Scotland, Germany, and Poland, respectively.
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Traditional dress wasn't required for every student who was involved. Some students like Audrey Schweers (left) and Kara Pushay chose to celebrate their heritage with T-shirts. In this case, Scweers and Pushay showed off their German and Irish heritage, respectively.
By SARAH FOOR
Flags from Greece, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Italy hung proudly in the gym of McKinley Elementary as Swedish meatballs, stuffed grape leaves and pierogies were being warmed in platters below. Sixth-grade students could be seen walking around in lederhosen, Scottish tartans, and Greek tunics.
All the activity was part of Nationality Day, the celebration of the heritages of McKinley students.
The exploration of family background actually starts in January of each year, when each sixth-grader finishes an exhaustive report on a country of their heritage. The Nationality Day event, this year on May 13, is the culmination of the project, where the students are asked to outfit themselves in the clothing of their ancestral homes and bring a dish of traditional food.
“The kids have been researching so long and this event really makes the facts come alive,” said PTO member Debbie Bury, who helped plan the event. “Instead of words, the kids get to live, and taste, so many different cultures through Nationality Day. It’s a wonderful learning opportunity.”
Parents and grandparents stopped into the event and were happy to see their sixth-graders celebrating their family histories. Mom Elida Cowles helped her daughter, Elise, explore her Puerto Rican heritage.
“It’s a wonderful project that really gives them perspective. Even though we’re all American now, chances are, we all have come from somewhere,” Cowles observed.
The McKinley sixth-graders were often surprised at some of the things the project teaches them.
“I’m Hungarian, and I found out that Hungarians have a really great water polo team. I really love swimming and being in the water — it’s like I’m connected to that,” Avery Blasko shared.
“I know it’s just a social studies project, but it was really great to be able to teach my family about our heritage. I’m proud to hear about what came before me,” Peter Koulianos said.