43
Boardman 5th-graders share their heritage
By Kalea hall
boardman
Greek, Japanese, Italian, Syrian, German, American and other foods filled the front half of a stage in a small auditorium at Boardman Center Middle School on Friday for a heritage dinner.
Fifth-grade students, wide-eyed and ready for a feast, awaited their turn to try a new world of foods.
“We appreciate what each of these dishes mean to you and your family,” their teacher, June Baker, said to them before the feast began.
It was a celebration of heritage for one section of the fifth-grade class at Boardman Center. Each student was asked to bring in a dish that represented that student’s heritage.
“We try to create this sense of community and gratefulness and link it to our school theme of chain reaction of kindness,” Baker said. “[We teach them] what we have is different, but we are [still] the same.”
This was the fourth year the fifth-graders experienced new foods such as sushi, haluski, cheesy potatoes, tabbouleh and za’atar, tiropita, casseroles and desserts. Before their meal, the students shared thank-you notes with their classmates.
“It gives them an opportunity to find what they love,” Baker said. “I try to encourage them to grab something new.”
Rahean Sulebi, 11, who is of Syrian descent, sat with her Greek, Lebanese and Slovakian friends at the dinner. All of them brought in special dishes representing their heritage.
Rahean brought in coconut-corn bread.
“[The dinner] means a lot to me,” Rahean said. “It’s a simple thing, and I think a lot of people like it. It teaches you how different people like different food.”
The Lebanese dish, tabouli and za’atar, was Rahean’s favorite.
Emily Rutledge, 10, sat across from Sulebi and lit up when her friend said the Lebanese dish was her favorite.
“My family really likes it,” Emily said.
Emily loved the Greek dish, tiropita, that her friend brought in.
After the meal, the students headed outside for a bonfire and “read-aloud” by their teacher. The students had just two chapters left of “The Maze Runner” by James Dashner, and Baker wanted to make sure all of her students remembered this day in a special way. So, in the drizzly rain, Baker made a fire and waited for her students to join her after they finished dessert.
“I really believe that whole idea that kids may not remember what we taught them, but they will remember how we made them feel,” Baker said. “You want the education experience to be unforgettable.”