Family fun at West Hempstead's second literacy night
Parents, children from kindergarten through 12th grade, school board members and students volunteers filled the auditorium of West Hempstead High School last Wednesday, April 21. They were celebrating the high school’s Second Annual Family Literacy Night.
Kathleen O’Farrell, the high school’s English director and Literacy Night coordinator, kicked off the festivities with an opening speech that noted the importance of the event, which was created with the intent to highlight and reinforce literacy.
The night included crafts, games, read-alouds and theatrical performances, including a steel-drum performance by a student from George Washington Elementary School, a Greek dance performed by several students in Cornwell Avenue’s ESL and ELL classes, and an Indian dance performed by a number of high school students.
There were also Irish Step and Native-America dances, as well as a Chinese Lion dance. Throughout the performances, small prizes were given out to raffle participants.
Following the entertaining performances, some children were sent to the gym where they worked with student volunteers from the high school to put together puzzles and read poetry and books together.
All participants were invited to sample ethnic foods, including some provided by the Italian and Spanish clubs, listen to music from foreign lands and hear stories told in different languages. In this way, Family Literacy Night spotlighted West Hempstead’s diversity and celebrated the importance of reading.
There were also a number of guest appearances, including one by Elmo and another by Blue from Blue’s Clues. These received an overwhelmingly positive response, mainly in the form of smiles and giggles, from the younger students.
The Second Annual Family Literacy Night was considered a success, which could not have been accomplished without the help of parents, teachers, students volunteers and the West Hempstead community.
