Contra Costa Sun

Posted on Wed, Nov. 24, 2004

By Emma Germer
CAMPUS CORRESPONDENT

On Nov. 17, the students of Saklan Valley School in Moraga got a little taste of culture... literally.

The second annual International Day took place at the school and ended with the much-anticipated cultural feast. An array of speakers came from places such as Ukraine , India , Sweden , Kazakhstan , Nigeria and South Africa .

The day was headed up by humanities teacher Karen Laduc and French teacher Amy Sullivan . Children enjoyed learning about South African wildlife and schools from Jennifer Getz, who was a resident of South Africa .

Kazakhstan representative Izaly Zemtsovsky, a UC Berkeley scholar, shared pictures of the land and artifacts.

Andrea Muchin shared her background of Sweden and talked about Santa Lucia, a special holiday around Christmas time.

"I liked Sweden the best, it was very decorated," said third-grader Lilly Sorrentino.

Navpreet Bawa talked with the students about the "land of the festivals" of India , and she shared her traditional wedding dress and talked about ceremonial customs.

Soji Odukogbe, a Nigerian musician, shared his love of music and Nigerian culture while having a "sing and dance" in his native language.

Finally, Genrikh Basin , a Ukraine native, showed a film about customs and land in the Ukraine and taught the students to sound letters of the alphabet.

But, International Day would not be complete without a huge potluck to end the day. Foods from all different backgrounds, which were brought in by parents, ranged from South African lemon meringue pie to curry chicken, an Indian dish.

"I like getting to sample all the foods from different countries," said fifth-grader Stephanie McGill.

Saklan's International Day was a great success and the students can't wait for the next special cultural affair to take place again next year. As sixth-grader Jared Madden said, "There is only one problem with International Day. It makes you want to be in those countries you hear about."

Emma Germer is a student at Saklan Valley School in Moraga . - Link to the Contra Cost Online Article

Link to the Saklan Picture Galleries -

International Day - Songs and Welcoming Presentation

International Day - Guests' Presentations

International Day - International Buffet