Students learn about their heritage

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Neighbors | Submitted.St. Joseph Immaculate Heart of Mary students, from left, Nathan Kramer and Nicholas Leskovac enjoy different foods during the ethnic buffet.

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Neighbors | Submitted.St. Joseph Immaculate Heart of Mary student Sabrina Zarlengo and fourth-grade teacher Mrs. Helen Dinda share a toast during the ethnic buffet.

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Neighbors | Submitted.Parents who volunteered to help with the ethnic buffet are, from left, Christien Pavlak, Debra Shumaker, Patsy Tringhese, Lynn Sorber and Amy Leskovac.

Helen Dinda’s fourth-grade class at St. Joseph Immaculate Heart of Mary found a unique way to combine language arts, social studies, history and food. Students were assigned a long-term project, in which they researched their families’ ethnic heritage and traditions regarding Christmas. They read books, searched on the internet and interviewed grandparents and other family members to learn about Christmas traditions.

Students learned about their individual Christmas heritage including: food, decorations, gifts and where some traditions actually began.

One student learned that in Italy, La Befana, a kindly old witch, flies around to deliver candy into children’s stockings on Jan. 6, the Feast of Epiphany. Another student learned that the Christmas tree originated in Germany.

Once they completed their research, each student wrote a paper, which included Christmas pictures from the country they chose to write about, personal pictures of their family Christmas traditions and facts about their chosen country.

The students’ research culminated in an Ethnic Heritage Tasting luncheon. Parents sent ethnic foods, such as Louisiana gumbo, Irish soda bread, lasagna, a Slovak dessert called Bolvachi and more.

“The kids were very excited,” said Chris Pavlak, a parent.

Dinda chose this project to encourage her students to keep family traditions alive in a busy world.