Greenwich Time

Greenwich's Julian Curtiss School students sing 'We are one' while celebrating annual UN Day parade
By Annelise Hanshaw
Oct. 21, 2022

(photos online)
https://www.greenwichtime.com/news/article/Greenwich-Julian-Curtiss-UN-Day-parade-17523380.php

GREENWICH — Elementary-school children strode around Julian Curtiss’s bus loop waving flags to honor their heritage. Many dressed in cultural outfits, donning items such as kimonos, voluminous ruffled skirts and Peruvian pom pom garlands.

Julian Curtiss School held its 31st annual commemoration of United Nations Day Thursday with a parade representing 54 countries.

The fifth-grade students sang “Sisi Ni Moja” by Jacob Narverud, with lyrics that say: “We are one world, one people. And we all breathe the same.”

The performance hit at the event’s ethos — a call for peace and unity — while the students’ representation of their cultures encourages them to be proud of their roots.

Principal Trish McGuire said the celebration is “more important now than ever.”

Showing how the United Nations impacted his family, Vadym Mishchenko, father of a Julian Curtiss student, spoke to the parade’s attendees about moving from Ukraine to Greenwich in May.

“It has been a really terrible and hard time for our family there, but it could have been even worse unless two things happened,” he said. “The first one is that United States helped organized with the United Nations to support Ukraine. Also, it helped people like our family who were stranded in different places in the world to come here.”

He said the school became “a stronghold” for his son “in this very harsh time.”

He didn’t want to worry the children by speaking about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but he wanted to talk about the support his family experienced through the school community, he told Greenwich Time.

Fifth-grader Ashley Yancce Bojorquez also shared her story entering Julian Curtiss School; her family moved from Peru when she was 3 years old to be able to have a better life.

This life came with challenges, like attending preschool at the age of 4 when she didn’t know English, she said.

Her mom would point out Ashley’s future elementary school as they drove by.

“I learned a lot over the years I’ve spent at JC. I’m grateful for all the people that have helped me,” she said.

Educators and parents marched with the children and waved to parents on the sidelines during the multiple processions around the bus loop.

Students shouted “hello” in their country’s language into a microphone as their flag approached the front of the building.

“This school is unique,” Board of Education member Joe Kelly said. “All these different cultures mixing, people don’t understand how important that is in education.”

The school has a magnet program: Students outside of the neighborhood but within the district can apply to attend Julian Curtiss and are accepted via a lottery system. Each of the district’s four magnet schools has a special instructional program; JC’s is world-language instruction.

"Our signature tagline for JC is 60 countries, 30 languages, one grade school," McGuire said. "It is what we're about."

What a beautiful day for our 2022 UN Day Parade. Every October 24th, United Nations Day is celebrated all over the world to commemorate the anniversary of the official creation of the United Nations through the 1945 UN Charter.

I quote from the United Nations website, “The significance of United Nations Day lies in its celebration of diversity. It is an official day to appreciate the diversity of cultures, religions, and languages all over the world. On this day, countries come together to spread ideas of peace and harmony among people who originate from various backgrounds.

Because the United Nations are famous for their work in disaster relief, humanitarian aid, peacekeeping, and international unity, every October 24th they celebrate its anniversary as a reminder of the importance of:

• Diversity

• The cooperative spirit among nations

• Equality

• Peace

• Unity

• Universal respect for justice and international law

• Human rights, fundamental freedoms"

Our little international school, that represents 54 countries this year, helps to reinforce the same principles of mutual respect and peace. One little school in Greenwich Connecticut is significant and can lead others to adopt these principles. Today is not just about a parade. It is about a community of students and their families that represent cultural diversity and seek cultural identity. The events scheduled for our UN week emphasize and support intercultural dialogue. We began on Tuesday with a full school assembly with World Renowned Grandmaster Drummer and Folklorist Bolokada Conde. This program was interactive and educational using centuries old rhythms from the country of Guinea, West Africa where this music and drums originated. Also as part of our UN celebrations, our Fifth grade students will be taking a trip to the United Nations on Tuesday, October 25th. We are so excited to offer our fifth graders this wonderful opportunity again. We have not been able to offer this trip since 2019. Thank you to our PTA for supporting these wonderful experiences for our students!

We all know that the answers to today’s current conflicts lie within the ways in which we educate our children. There can be no lasting peace unless our youngest are taught to empathize with others and understand multiple perspectives. They must be taught to seek peaceful resolutions to conflicts and urged to find solutions that are reasonable and humane. We are committed to continue to work on this at Julian Curtiss.

A very special thank you to parents Stephanie Krupa and Allegra McBane for organizing the events and deploying a large group of parent volunteers to bring all of our events together.

Thank you to all of the parents that helped to make it a great day!

On Tuesday, October 18th, the whole school enjoyed an assembly with Bolokada Conde, a World-renowned Grandmaster Drummer and Folklorist from Guinea, West Africa. He is one of the most celebrated master drummers in the world. He is an engaging and energetic teacher and performer who spreads joy wherever he goes.

In addition to the assembly Bolokada also gave workshops with our fifth grade students. They learned a traditional song and rhythm called Dalla Mon, which is played when the lakes formed during the rainy season dry up each year, and the fish need to be caught. Students all learned a call and response song, the djembe pattern, and a special break and ending for the rhythm. Special thanks to the JC PTA for funding these events and bringing such a special experience to our school.

We want to continue the sentiments of our UN Day Celebration throughout the year with our students. As stated in our school mission, "The diversity of our children is recognized as a source of strength and a reflection of our world." We want to recognize the diverse celebrations that are important to the families of JC by making a Diversity Calendar to raise awareness for our students of our many unique cultures.

Please complete this form to share with us some of the cultural celebrations that are important to your family!

https://forms.gle/Hqis8EyDmp1wnwiD6

It is our attempt to keep the day as routine as possible but still allow a little celebration with a “snack”! Children may bring their costumes to school but cannot wear them all day long. We ask that costumes be appropriate for elementary school since K-2 students can scare easily. Please follow these guidelines:

· No full face masks

· No blood

· No weapons

Please help us stay on track for instruction for most of the school day. Parents of students in K-2 can come in at 1:45 to help with costumes if they wish.

Halloween is a fun time of the year, but for children with food allergies and their parents it can be a very scary time for a very serious reason.

During this Halloween season it is a good time to remind everyone that we are an allergy aware school and are committed to keeping all children safe. As candy and treats abound before and after Halloween, please be mindful of the foods you bring into the school for snack and lunch. Parents should read labels carefully for the most common food allergies frequently found in candy : peanuts, tree nuts, milk, wheat, eggs, soy, and sesame and be aware of foods made in a facility that processes them. Students, please do not share food and remember to wash your hands before and after eating.

Let’s remember to have fun and keep all students safe and feeling included this Halloween.

Important Note: Halloween is on Monday this year. Sugar and lack of sleep are not a combination that makes for good students the next day. Please keep the sugar to a minimum and make sure that your child gets a good night’s sleep!

Hello. I am excited to be joining the Julian Curtiss community as a social worker after spending over 15 years at Greenwich High School, where I worked as a school social worker in the Education and Wellness Center (CSP).

I earned my Master of Social Work at New York University and worked in several areas of the field, including child and family therapy and mobile crisis outreach (Child Guidance Center), residential foster care (Pleasantville Cottage School) and substance abuse treatment and prevention (Liberation Programs). In my role at GHS, I have had the opportunity to develop new programs for academic support, social-emotional wellness, PBIS, community service and leadership, and transition.

Being a Greenwich native, with three children who have attended Greenwich schools, and my time working at GHS, I am very familiar and connected with community agencies and resources in town and in neighboring communities. My goal is to help children recognize their strengths and build their capacities, while empowering families to do the same. I am an advocate and a resource for both children and families.

I live in Stamford with my husband, Steve, and my two youngest children, Emma (11th/GHS) and Kyle (6th/WMS). My oldest son, Austin, lives nearby in Stamford with our family dog, Otis!

I will be working at Julian Curtiss part-time.

During my free time, I enjoy playing tennis, doing Zumba, cooking, and traveling.

I look forward to working with the staff, students and families at Julian Curtiss!

Sincerely,

Danielle M. Polizzi, MSW

Each Friday, we show our Julian Curtiss School spirit by wearing our JC Spirit Wear or our school colors which are green and white.

Julian Curtiss Magnet School of World Languages

Email: trish_mcguire@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: www.greenwichschools.org/jcs
Location: 180 East Elm Street, Greenwich, CT, USA
Phone: (203) 869-1896
Twitter: @jcsprincipal