World Experience Day~ Italy

Our parents prepare all year for this day. They pick a country and bring it to the school. The students participate in tons of activities and learn about the country all day. This year, they went to Italy. After mass, the kids assembled in the gym for opening ceremonies. Each country was represented by a student in the school. I think our school is so unique with so many children from different parts of the world. The Scudder children were chosen to represent their Dutch heritage again this year. Jack was the tallest, so he got to hold the flag and Kate held the Holland sign. The last country to come in was Italy (with the Pope) and then we stood for the Italian National Anthem. 

We had two special guests. The first man played the accordion while the 7th and pre-k kids did a little Italian dance. The second lady was from the historical society and she sang a few Italian songs for the kids.

After opening ceremonies, the classes rotated to different stations to "visit" different parts of Italy. From Milan, Turin, Tuscany, Assisi, Venice, Sienna, Pisa, Amalfi Coast to Rome...the students saw it all, including an elusive Ferrari! They rode in gondolas, climbed the Sacred Stairs on their knees, ate authentic cusine, learned about Michelangelo's painting techniques, ate lemon desserts, experienced a Milan fashion show, saw the Shroud of Turin, visited St. Francis of Assisi, took selfies with the Pope, raced boats in Venice, road horses through the street of Sienna, drank "wine" in Tuscany and learned how to pick and stomp grapes, visited the Coliseum and fought the gladiators and rock climbed (in a bouncy house), saw the statues at Trevi Fountain, went to a wax museum with famous Italians and the leaning tower of Pisa...and so much more!

It was a great day and one they will always remember. What makes this so special is it is completely organized and ran by parent volunteers. Most of the food and materials are donated and everyone's time is donated to make the props, floats, decorations, etc.

I was working in the marketplace making sure all the kids with allergies got what they should and should not have, but I did have a little time to walk around and see a few things and I have some of my friend's pictures too. 

Opening ceremonies int he gym. The leaning tower of Pisa is in the background.

I video taped them walking into the gym but grabbed a quick picture of the kids holding the Holland flag

Italy flag

Pope

Dancers

Tuscany wine tasting

Jack and his friends toasting their wine (grape juice)

In Venice, the classes were split, while one was on the gondola ride, the rest were decorating masks

 

The Pope in the pope mobile. The security guard is moving the rope for the Pope to pass.

The Pope waved all day long and was cracking me up. The 7th and 8th grade students were part of the plays, fashion show, wax museum and helped out at each station.

Gondola ride

Kate was on the boat

Getting off the boat

Fountain of Trevi

Anna, Amelia, Elizabetha nd Delaney

Jack's class at the marketplace

ferarri

8th grade students before the day. They all had different parts.

Some of the 7th grade students on the coliseum

8th grade girls

Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel

The pictures get a little out of order from here as they were taken by other people

opening ceremonies

The Pope

Marketplace

They served pasta with sauce, olives, bread and olive oil and vinegar, pizzelle, gelato, salami and cheese.

Pope with his body guard

Sistine Chapel play

Elizabeth in Tuscany drinking her wine

Girls in front of the gondola

Girls class leaning how to make wine in Tuscany

Girls class on gondola

Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel

Girls class watching the play

fighting the gladiators in the coliseum. Kate and Emma were the winners of the first grade

The leaning tower of Pisa. A dad made this tower with chicken wire and paper.

Girls class at the marketplace

collages done by a friend

The bottom part of this collage shows the fashion show in Milan

Showing the hard work of the dad that completed the tower.

Picture sent to me by a friend

decorations

life size replica of the Shroud

more and better pictures of opening ceremonies

fashion show

wine in Tuscany

The kids got their passports stamped and each year they are collected and reused the following year. When the kids graduate, they are given back to them to keep.  So far the Scudder kids have now been to Switzerland, the Philippians and Italy. The school has been doing this for 15 years. Next year, they are going to Native America.

The end of the day was closing ceremonies and an opera singing contest. Each class voted on one singer to sing in the contest. This was very interesting and comical. The kids sang anything from the ABCs, to "On top of Spaghetti" to "Let it go" from Frozen. There were three prizes awarded by four judges. A 6th grade boy won it this year.

Putting some very tired kids to bed tonight, I asked each one what was their favorite part of the day.

Jack: the food

Anna: the fashion show

Elizabeth: the wine

Kate: the bouncy house (rock climbing)

If that ^ doesn't show their personalities to a tee, I'm not sure what does!