Dancing Classrooms at River Elementary

From Patchogue Schools: Classrooms at River Elementary have been dancing this year. Over 10 weeks and only 14 hours of practice, fifth grade students learned authentic multicultural dances from different parts of the world.

Dances included merengue, tango, swing, and waltz, amongst others. River fifth grade parents came out to celebrate their students and watch the culmination of the ballroom dance showcase.

In addition to learning dances they reflected on how they felt throughout this journey and made comparisons to the characters in the book “Wonder.”

They shared how they, “let go of their insecurities about holding their partners hand and just had fun.”

Among the many observations and notes from River Principal, Dr. Tania Davenport-Dalley were that Mr. Desario, a physical education teacher at River, enjoyed learning the dances just as much as the students did. Ms. Jane Lohman and Jessica Heins taught students how to have confidence and engage respectfully as young students socially with their peers.

The AEMDD C3 Squared Grant made this funding and incredible experience possible, according to Dr. Davenport-Dalley.

Images Courtesy of Patchogue Schools