12/20/2023
Nearly 80 World Language, AFS and Music students from Highlands High School presented the holiday traditions of 26 different countries to Highlands Elementary students on Tuesday, Dec. 19. Each HES class traveled to five different countries with their passports where they received a “stamp” with the flag of the country they were visiting.
Their travels included interactive opportunities to learn about culture and language. When traveling to Bonaire, they learned Dutch and Papiamentu phrases from Jocelyn Bielak and Cameron Reigard while they played the castanets when visiting Mexico with Jackson Ament, Lukas Oddis, London Salter and Jocelyn Scardina. They also made a spider ornament in Poland with Trinity Lang, Sam Markey and Emma Murrell as they learned about the Polish legend of the Christmas spider. The HES students were also very proud of the snowman crafts they created when visiting Switzerland with Jordan Gangloff, Madison Haines and Emma Loughner.
HES students especially enjoyed the treats prepared by HHS students. In the Philippines, they tasted a coconut and pineapple bibingka cake with Haley Dixon, Elizabeth Ransom, Ella Rittman and Connor Watson while they ate buñuelos (similar to doughnuts) when visiting Ecuador with Alexis Arms and Neveah Calligan. When stopping in Sweden, they enjoyed Swedish meatballs with Zane Callen and Annabelle Kolodziejski and they tried sandnøtter cookies in Norway with Alexis Bender, Morgan Neese and Oliveah Rae.
Additionally, our Highlands AFS exchange students Cayetana Alonso from Spain, Fillipo Ciriotti from Italy and Anna LeRay from France teamed up with our other World Language students to share their holiday traditions with HES students. And Mr. Zeiler’s music students filled the halls and classrooms with holiday joy dressed as polar bears, trees and gingerbread cookies.
We were pleased to be able to expand to all HES classrooms this year after reinitiating a smaller version of Holidays Around the World last year. Second grade teacher Mrs. McCurdy said, “My students absolutely LOVED the activities that were prepared by the high school students! All the rooms we visited were very well-prepared and kept the students' attention. I saw some future teachers this morning!”
A special thanks to principals Mr. Michael Toole and Dr. Stan Whiteman for supporting this festive event as well as the teachers who organized it, including Sarah Robinson, Trina Colberg, Kristen Gettens, Michael Zeiler, Marilyn Skwortz and Laura Fleischer Proano. Also, a special thanks to ABC Transit for donating the buses to transport HHS students to HES.
Holidays Around the World country presentations and high school students:
- Argentina - Lucas Bernstein, Jordyn Sobotka
- Australia - Annamarie Williams, Cruz Kelly, Will Baillie
- Bonaire - Cameron Reigard, Jocelyn Bielak
- Canada - Sal Barbarino, Braedon Paz, Andy Lu
- China - Jacob Thorpe, Jacob Millen
- Colombia - Makenzie George, Bailey Megats
- Costa Rica - Abby Pomaybo, Abby Koharchik, Lyla Vivirito
- Denmark - Ryan Pfaff, Aidan Pfaff, Marlie Kirland-Rahner
- Ecuador - Neveah Calligan, Alexis Arms
- Egypt - Landen Dongilli, Hannah Misejka
- France - Anna LeRay, Addison Arms, Aubrey Coward
- Germany - Ben Nolker, Ian Love
- Greece - Aubry Bowser, Luciana Cirino
- Iceland - Trenton Durci, Callie Bradfield, Aiden Eckman
- India - Gus Narang, Alexxia Harding
- Ireland - Gabby Collins, Abby Vulgris, Fisher Kerr, Bradley Cowfer
- Italy - Filippo Ciriotti, Jesse Maloney, Brooke Signorella, Katelyn Myers, Kaylee Demharter
- Mexico - Jocelyn Scardina, Lukas Oddis, London Salter, Jackson Ament
- Norway - Alexis Bender, Morgan Neese, Oliveah Rae
- Peru - Abella Valenti-Baker, Gloria Blythe
- Philippines - Ella Rittman, Haley Dixon, Elizabeth Ransom, Connor Watson
- Poland - Sam Markey, Emma Murrell, Trinity Lang
- Portugal - Natalie Stello, Sydney Peppler
- Spain - Cayetana Alonso, Beckham Ochoa, Amelia Smith
- Sweden - Annabelle Kolodziejski, Zane Callen
- Switzerland - Madison Haines, Jordan Gangloff, Emma Loughner
