International Day presentations performed by the students of the English as a Second Language program and members of the International Club were held at Smith High School on March 6 and 7.
Titled �Hands United in Peace,� this year�s program was a celebration of cultural understanding and world peace. It was also a representation of the diversity found in our school, since there were 25 different countries represented.
The country representations began with a Parade of Nations, where every student carried banners from their respective homelands.
The Parade of Nations was followed by different dances, including the Sao Lao Viengchanh; the Indian Rass dance; as well as dances of Vietnam, the Middle East and Cambodia. There also was a unique representation of Kung Fu and Montganard dances.
Other countries and regions were represented by the performance of traditionals songs, such as �Rain in June,� which represented Vietnam, �Cielito Lindo� and �La Bamba,� which mainly represented Mexico; and �El amor es mas fuerte� and �No importa el lugar,� which represented Latin America.
Another part of the program was devoted to speakers reflecting on the difficulties in mantaining world peace. These speakers talked about their experiences in their native countries. Often they spoke about war- torn situations that they had left behind. One highlight was a speech given by Tho Tran, a native of Vietnam:
The government of our country did not know how to keep our county at peace. They made us scared to live in our own country. Because of that, we came to this country where there was no war. That saved our lives. We thank you and the world for true freedom and peace.
Ran Kong, a native of Cambodia, spoke eloquently about the war that her family escaped in their homeland. The Kongs escaped from Cambodia before the murderous Khymer Rouge regime began an Asian holocaust that killed more than 2 million Cambodians. Kong�s speech received one of the longest, loudest applauses of the day.
Another speaker was Amir Alshanteer. He talked about how the war in Bosnia affected his life:
I wish war had never begun in my country. War in all countries brings sadness to all people. Always people lose someone from their family, especially when men die fighting a war. That is the sad thing that could happen to any family. Even the people who you love have to move out of their homes to look for peace. I lost my friends because of the war, and I think that I will never see them again. They had to move far away from Bosnia. My wish for peace is that all people in all countries would like each other just the way they are, no matter what race or religion. Then we would have peace and not war.
In this year�s International Day celebration, not only ESL students and International Club participants showed their talents and represented their countries, but there also were other performances. The BLS Orchestra, directed Jesse Suggs, and the Chorus and Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Virginia Stewart, made this year�s celebration a more meaningful day.
Throughout the program, foreign-born and American students had the opportunity to appreciate the various cultures. That was made possible by the hard work of both students and teachers.
ESL teachers Leisa Huddleston and Evie Derrickson, the event�s directors, worked together with all of the participants to develop this year�s outstanding show.
According to Huddleston, this year�s International Day program was one of the best ever at Smith because the students worked diligently on their presentations. All groups made a special effort to pick an appealing custom from their countries, and that made for a very colorful display.
�It also was one of the best because of the theme of peace and because students expressed themselves of how we can achieve peace in the world and that was real important,� Huddleston said.
Derrickson, meanwhile, applauded the behavior of the students in the auditorium.
�The audience really got the message of cultural diversity that the international students were trying to present,� she said. �There was a spirit of peace that helped the presentation to be more emotional.�
Huddleston and Derrickson both had an important message of their international students.
�Our message is to be proud of your culture and don�t forget your heritage,� Derrickson said.
While the participants were satisfied with their performance, the audience also was appreciative of their effort.
�I thought this year�s presentation was better because of the Kung Fu exhibition,� said Janard Moore, a junior. �I liked the Spanish students singing �La Bamba� because it was a good representation of their country.
�I learned don�t fight violence with violence. We are all the same kind of people.�
DeAngelia Sellars, a sophomore, said the event was an eye-opener.
�It gave us students an idea of what�s going on in the world,� she said.
�I liked the speakers because they talked about countries facing war and told us how to achieve peace.�
Sellars learned an important lesson from the program.
�Even though there are wars and embargoes, the United States can still give aid and hope for peace to those people who are searching for it,� she said.
�I would like to see the U.S. represented in the future because we are part of the whole world. I would like to see a speaker discussing American themes and dances or song from our culture.�
International Day showed that we are a world of many colors, many hues and many faces. Each has his or her place in this world and, in America, many faces come together as one. The program also showed that being one people out of many is not only possible but inevitable.
Bosnia, Amir and Emir Alshanteer; Cambodia, Nick Chang and Chandara San; China,Jenny Chen and Andi Qui; Dominican Republic, Tirso Benitez; France, My Thien Van and Marcus Bethea; Ghana, Harriet Ansah; Guatemala, Guillermo Arriaga; India, Sam Lawrence and Kinjal Patel; Iraq, Hind Ali; Ivory Coast, Melani Koffi; Jordan, Heitham Suleiman; Laos, Ai Syrouth and Pat Sengsourinha; Mexixo, Sonia Sanchez and Beatriz Barron; Montagnard, H�Tuyet Rahlan and k�Lin; Nepal, Kalyan Koriola and Tushar Patel; Pakistan, Rehan Khan; Palestine, Ziyad and Layali Darwish; Persia, Rose Shariat; Phillippines, Glen Acosta; Russia, Paul and Konstantin Belman; Somalia, Lul Abdulcadir and Fardowsa Maollim; Thailand, Mack Rojanaporn and Manida Thsnonsack; United States of America, Shana Brown and Keisha Tucker; Uruguay, Manuel Borges; Vietnam, Ahn Ho and Bao Hoang.
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