Woodward’s day of celebrations in cultures

Posted
This video was filmed and edited by the Woodward Children's Center students.
Courtesy of Woodward Children's Center

The sound of bagpipes echoed throughout the hallways of Woodward Children’s Center on Merrick Road in Freeport on April 30. This year the students and staff are celebrating International Day to educate and commemorate the different cultures of the students at the school.
Woodward Children’s Center is a small school with fewer than 100 emotionally disturbed and autistic students. According to Danielle Colucci, principal of WCC, the annual event is student-driven and started a couple of years ago after students wanted to proudly share their heritage and culture.

“The kids love sharing their culture,” Colucci said. “Each year they get more and more into [International Day].”

Kellenberg Memorial High School’s music instructor, Robert Lynch was dressed in traditional Irish kilt and sporran as he performed a number of songs on his bagpipe.

The days leading up to International Day, students work on a number of class projects that included painting flags that were later hung around the school, poster boards of information on other countries were on display and also included poetry and music throughout their classes. During the assembly students in the school’s Music Video Class presented a video they produced. The video featured teachers and students dancing and waving their countries’ flags.

The program also included a chorus performance of Israeli singer’s Dudu Tassa’s “What A Day.” The assembly ended the school day with a stunning performance of Irish step dancing by world-renowned Doherty Petri School of Irish Dancing students. Irish step dancing features dancing with a stiff upper body and quick movements of the feet. The DPSI dancers wowed the Woodward students with their quick footwork to catchy Irish music.

Faculty and staff also brought in a wide selection of culinary delights from around the globe for students to eat.

“This is just a great day of sharing for everybody in [our school],” Colucci said.