HS Students Celebrate Haitian Flag Day
Haitian students attending North Babylon High School and members of the International Club held a Haitian Flag Day Celebration on May 17th with the help of three faculty members: ESL teacher Nancy Jefferson, art teacher Veronica Murphy, and social studies teacher Guerline Joseph who is herself Haitian.
The celebration started with a luncheon featuring delicious Haitian food for faculty members cooked and hosted by Haitian students. Some of the foods served were fried plaintains, rice and beans, specially spiced and delectable chicken, as well as such Haitian specialties as pate kode and duri ak dyondyon. The food was so good that it was difficult not to go for "seconds." In fact, some could not resist.
The luncheon was followed 8th period by an assembly in the auditorium. The program began with the Haitian National Anthem sung by Rose Joseph, Miraldina Jules, and Yvaline Dorce. Mrs. Jefferson introduced the program and thanked students for raising money to help Haiti. Boys and girls illustrated some traditional Haitian songs and dances and talked about Haiti's history and the earthquake. There was a short movie about the earthquake sent by the father of one of the students. The program was a big hit with the audience who learned much about Haitian culture from the assembly. Mrs. Jefferson said, "Doing this program meant so much to our Haitian students because so many of them were affected by the earthquake and had family members who were also affected."
