Link Elementary School Hosts Annual International Night (VIDEO)

Neither Aideen Farry nor Leanne Karnbad have any family members who were born in Spain, yet when the two were thinking about what country to pick for Link Elementary School’s International Night, they both thought it’d be fun to pick Spain.

And so on Friday night at Link, the two wore red and black dresses along with necklace that had a rose on it for .

“When we looked up information about Spain, we saw that they wear red and black a lot,” said Karnbad, 10, of New City.

She added that they learned about flamenco dresses and some traditional Spanish dances while doing research. In the past, they’ve dressed up in native clothing from places like Ireland and Scotland.

“It’s just fun to learn about a new culture and dress up how they used to dress,” Farry said.

They were just two of more than 40 students from kindergarten through fifth grade to participate in the Link Elementary School International Night’s Ethnic Costume Show.

“When I started eight years ago, we had nine kids in it,” said Lynn Farry, Aideen’s mother and chairperson of the International Night Committee. “It’s been great to see it grow into this big thing.”

Part of the reason Farry thinks International Night has grown so much is because the committee lets the kids do more now than they used to. Farry said International Night used to be the costume show, a buffet of foods around the world brought in by parents and then a performance by an outside group. They kept the buffet, but started to let kids perform.

On Friday, more than 40 kids performed at International Night, from first- and second-graders singing in a chorus to individual and smaller group performances. The presentations ranges from things like Emily Hur performing the South Korean piece “Arirang” on the piano to Shriram Hegde and Ayush Botke demonstrating a Bollywood-inspired Indian dance routine to a Lebanese belly dance by Isabella O’Hara and Isabella Ricciardi. A group of graduating fifth-graders, including Aideen Farry and Karnbad, sang “Proud To Be An American.”

Another new featuree added to the night in recent years is the students in the costume show get to introduce themselves, which teachers used to be responsible for. Many of the students walked out and introduced themselves in the language of the nation they were representing. Cultures represented in the costume show included Egypt, Norway, Serbia, Poland, Ecuador and even the United States, for which Ashley McDonald dressed up in traditional native American clothing.

“This night really showcases the diversity in the school,” said Lynn Farry. “It gives the students a chance to be cross-cultural. They really gain a knowledge of all these other cultures.”

And in many instances, it’s not their own cultures. Like Aideen Farry and Karnbad, plenty of students dressed up in clothes from countries they have no connection to outside of an interest to learn about it.

Amanda Pivonka, nine, of New City picked Egypt for International Night because she said she thought it seemed like an interesting country.

“It’s a really great for introducing the students to another culture,” said Christina Calandrello, International Baccalaureate coordinator at . “It really makes us more of a global community.”

International Night is an optional activity for students, and Calandrello said usually more than half the students in the school sign up for it in some way.

“And the ones that don’t come and watch their friends,” she said.

Calandrello said the teachers start meeting about International Night back in October, and Cynthia Kimmel, a music teacher at the school, rehearses with the students for about two months.

“It’s really a huge collaboration between the teachers the students and the parents,” Calandrello said. “Everybody plays a part in it somehow.”

International Night Performers:

Celtic Medley on Scottish Bagpipers:

• Sean Hagan accompanied by his daughter Tara Hagan

National Anthem:

• Ashley McDonald

“Si Estamos Todos Juntos” and “Together” performed by International Chorus:

• Adam Shameem, Aishani Das, Amanda Aurecchione, Andrew Scerbo, Angelina Lombardi, Arissa Zheng, Ashley Tyles, Ashlyn Nostro, Ayush Botke, Emma Siciliano, Grace Kennedy, Grace O’Hara, Ilyssa Milich, Isabel Thomas, Jackie Zodda, Jessica Brown, Jessica Silverman, Julian Rime, Keri Lynn McAndrew, Kevin Ferguson, Krystal Diaz, Lily Barkley, Madison Zapata, Maya Maayani, Mikaela Williams, Parker Melo, Rachelle Luo, Rebecca Friedland, Richard Abbamonte, Robert Giorgio, Serina Thomas, Shriram Hegde, Taylor Donoghue

“Arirang” performed on Piano:

• Emily Hur

Bollywood-inspired Indian Dance:

• Shriram Hegde and Ayush Botke

World Poetry and Folktales:

• “Diversity” written and performed by Carly Donoghue
• “We Can Change The World” written and performed by Jolie Scerbo
• “The Tale of Lutefisk” performed by Liza Granoe

“Od Yavo Shalom Aleinu” performed in Hebrew by:

• Liran Maayani, Arianna Milich, Chelsea Adams, Josh Tyles, Alex Oberman, Samara Patruznick, Maya Maayani, Ashley Tyles, Shani Moshe and Ilyssa Milich

Lebanese Belly Dance:

• Isabella O’Hara and Isabella Ricciardi

“Danny Boy” performed by:

• Colleen Kelly

Taekwondo Demonstration:

• Jordan and Dylan Izenman

“Proud To Be An American” performed by:

• Chelsea Adams, Victoria Babiarz, Carly Donoghue, Aideen Farry, Leanne Karnbad, Colleen Kelly, Liran Maayani, Sejal Mathur, Ashley McDonald, Arianna Milich, Alex Oberman, Jolie Scerbo and Josh Tyles

Link’s Annual Ethnic Costume Show

Egypt:

• Amanda Pivonka

Norway:

• Lucy Rime
• Liza Granoe

Serbia:

• Kathryn Resanovich

Nigeria:

• Azaria Lawson

Israel:

• Maya Maayani
• Ashley Tyles
• Ilyssa Milich

Mexico:

• Jolie Scerbo
• Isabella Rabedeau

Lebanon:

• Isabella Ricciardi
• Isabella O’Hara
• Grace O’Hara

Poland:

• Emily Babiarz
• Victoria Reiter
• Victoria Babiarz

India:

• Rachel Ninan
• Aishani Das
• Medha Mathur
• Sejal Mathur

Albania:

• Kara Silverman
• Jessica Silverman

India:

• Adam Shameem
• Shriram Hegde
• Ayush Botke

South Korea:

• Emily Hur
• Annelise Hur

Ecuador:

• Lorenzo Montesino

USA:

• Ashley McDonald

India:

• Christopher Thomas
• Serina Thomas
• Ryan Thomas

Ireland:

• Colleen Kelly
• Carly Donoghue
• Taylor Donoghue

Spain:

• Aideen Farry
• Leanne Karnbad
• Drew Karnbad

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