A bit of the past

Suzie Harrison

They traveled in unbearable conditions, slept on an overcrowded,

rat-infested boat and then faced tough registration officers just to

and make their way through immigration on Ellis Island once they

finally made it to America.

Fifth-grade students at Ocean View Elementary dressed and acted

the part in their mock Ellis Island setting, where they learned what

it must have been like for their ancestors.

It was all a part of Immigration Day.

“We learned that different immigrants come from different places,”

said Brian Kabuki, 10. “There are many people from different

countries in the U.S.”

Students had to research the country their ancestors were from,

learning what they ate, the traditions and the culture.

“I did Ireland,” said Samantha Lyttle, 10. “It was fun to do the

project and doing an Irish step dance. It was neat learning about

something from each country.”

During Immigration Day the students, with the help of their

parents, created an authentic dish and brought it for a big feast

held after the role-playing, dancing, singing and learning about

traditions and customs.

“It’s cool,” 10-year-old Ben Justice said. “I liked the

presentations, learning how to speak the different languages and

different games.”

Kellie Kawaguchi, 10, said she enjoyed learning what immigration

was like.

“They would ask all these questions to get in to the country, like

where do you come from and do you have a job,” she said.

The students also assumed traditional dress. Brianna Banks was

wearing an Aodai, the traditional outfit worn by the Vietnamese, she

said.