Spring 2024

The Sights, Tastes, and Sounds of Noah Wallace is an annual celebration of our school's rich diversity, organized by the IDEA+ Club and the PTO. This year's event, held on a beautiful spring Saturday, April 20th, from 3-5 pm, brought together dozens of families to share and experience the vibrant cultural mosaic that defines our community.

Families were greeted with an array of cultural displays and sample-sized portions of delicious food from around the globe, all provided by Noah Wallace families. The food tasting was a highlight, with a diverse menu that included savory specialties like Baursak and Samsa from Kazakhstan, Soy chicken wings from South Korea, Haitian patties, Indian potato fritters, Portuguese chourico and peppers, Rice and Beans from Puerto Rico, Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew), and many Indian specialties, just to name a few. The sweets selection featured Mexican flan, Polish Pączki, German Vanillekipferl, Mango Sandesh from India, Italian gelato and pastries, and SO many more delectable bites. Each dish offered a taste of different cultures, allowing participants to explore global flavors without leaving Farmington. We thank the nearly 50 families who participated this year and shared a bit of their heritage with our community. It was such a treat!

In addition to food, many families thoughtfully prepared special displays for the event. These included maps, cultural artifacts, traditional clothing, and more, providing an educational and immersive experience. Attendees could smell the spices and learn about various customs and traditions as they traveled around the blacktop with their 'passports,' symbolizing their effort to try new foods and earn a prize along the way.

The event also featured a live performance by Bollywood dancer Madhurima Deroy and a Taekwondo demonstration by the Olympic Taekwondo Academy Farmington, led by Master Choi and several Noah Wallace students. These performances added a dynamic and interactive element to the event, highlighting the talents within our community. Mrs. Speranza and Mrs. Nardini helped conclude the event with a read-aloud and sing-along.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this event a lovely afternoon to spend time outside, meet new friends, try new foods, listen to great music, and enjoy fantastic demonstrations and read-alouds. The continued success of The Sights, Tastes, and Sounds of Noah Wallace is a testament to the strength and unity of our community. It was a beautiful day that showcased how our differences bring us together, creating a rich and vibrant tapestry of cultures and traditions.

On Thursday, April 25th, Noah Wallace School was thrilled to welcome Surcari for an in-school assembly that captivated students from all grades. This award-winning performance group, whose name is a blend of Suramérica and Caribbean, showcased a vibrant array of traditional instruments and music from Spanish-speaking countries across South and Central America, the Caribbean, Spain, and Mexico.

Surcari, led by acclaimed guitarist Lorena Garay, plays a wide variety of traditional instruments while wearing ethnic hats from each country they visit. Their colorful performances engage audiences of all ages as they sing and clap while learning about different Spanish-speaking cultures. Student volunteers play an extensive collection of hand percussion instruments along with Surcari, adding to the dynamic energy of the performance.

Their dynamic presentations have graced stages across the USA, South America, and Europe. Notably, Surcari won 3rd place for Best South & Central American Album at the 2009 JPF Independent Music Awards and received the Arts For Learning Connecticut's 2018 Performing Artist of the Year Award.

The assembly was a sensory delight, with students experiencing the rich sounds of diverse musical traditions. Surcari's performance not only entertained but also educated the students, offering a joyful exploration of cultural diversity through music. It was a memorable experience, leaving a lasting impression on all who attended.

IDEA+ Club was happy to help select and organize this special assembly for Noah Wallace.

Please take a moment to enjoy this submission from several years ago. Thank you to the Ahn Family for sharing their traditions with us.

We are a Korean-American family and celebrate Lunar New Year.

Here are some ways we celebrate the annual holiday, including how we feast! On the Korean Lunar New year "Seol-Lal" morning, we dress up in Korean traditional wear "Hanbok"  and eat rice cake soup "Tteokguk" with the whole family.

Tteokguk is a traditional Korean food that is customarily eaten for the New Year. The dish is a soup with thinly sliced rice cakes. According to tradition, the Korean New Year is similar to a birthday for Koreans, and having Tteokguk is part of the birthday celebration. Once you finish eating your Tteokguk, you are considered one year older.

After mealtime, one of the most important traditions for a child during Seollal is "Sebae." Sebae is the most important of all the Korean Lunar New Year traditions. It is the act of kneeling on the ground and bowing deeply so that your hands are also on the ground. Younger people must bow deeply to their elders and wish them a happy new year.

This is a ritual in which young children pay their respects to their elders with a traditional bow. Most elders choose to “reward” children with money. Regardless, elders still get the chance to give children words of wisdom, also known as “dokdam.”

We also have a video call with our family in Korea and “Sebae” virtually to the grandparents, aunt, and uncle at their nighttime due to the time zone differences.

Finally, we play "Yunnori" (Korean traditional board game) with family.

Korean Lunar New Year is always special to our family!

April is Arab American Heritage Month, a time to celebrate Arab Americans throughout the past and present and recognize their contributions to the United States. It is also a time to combat anti-Arab bigotry and challenge stereotypes and prejudices. Arab American Heritage Month began in 2017 as an initiative in only a few states and cities, but in 2022, President Biden issued a proclamation acknowledging Arab American Heritage Month as a national month of recognition.

Curious? 

Find out more about Arab American Heritage Month here: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/arab-american

Earth Day is celebrated each April to raise awareness of the importance of protecting the environment. People often celebrate by participating in activities to improve the environment; in Farmington, for example, people may participate in the city-wide town clean-up, which coincides with Earth Day and involves picking up litter from public spaces in our community. The first Earth Day took place in 1970. Since then, Earth Day has grown and helped galvanize support for environmental legislation like the Endangered Species Act of 1973.

Curious? 

Find out more about Earth Day here: 

https://www.pbs.org/parents/protecting-our-planet

Passover is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Old Testament story of the Israelites’ escape from Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Ramses II. Each year at Passover, Jewish people celebrate by participating in a seder, which is a meal designed to help participants remember and think about the journey from slavery to freedom. During Passover seder, people eat foods that have special meaning, like matzah (unleavened crackers) and bitter herbs, and they retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Like many holidays that take place during the transitional season of spring, Passover also celebrates the renewal of the season.

Curious? 

Find out more about Passover here: https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/Passover/276300 

In the month of May we take time to reflect and celebrate the important role that Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs) have played in our shared history. AANHPI heritage was first recognized on a federal level in 1978, when President Jimmy Carter signed a proclamation which established Asian/Pacific American Heritage Week to take place in early May. Later, in 1992, Congress passed a law that officially designated an annual celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in May. The communities celebrated during AANHPI Heritage Month have origins in the many countries that the Asia-Pacific region encompasses, which includes the entirety of the Asian continent, as well as the countries and territories that make up the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia. Coming from such a wide geographical area, the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has a rich and varied history and culture to learn more about all month long.

Curious? 

Find out more about AANHPI Heritage Month here: https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/books-to-celebrate-asian-american-and-pacific-islander-heritage-month 

Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico that commemorates the defeat of French forces by Mexican troops in a battle that took place in Puebla, Mexico in 1862. In the mid-1800s, the French leader Emperor Napoleon III tried to take control of Mexico. During the battle of Pueblo, a small army of Mexican soldiers defeated a much bigger and stronger French army. The victorious battle celebrated on Cinco de Mayo was an important blow against the French army and represented a turning point in the conflict. Today in the United States, the holiday is a festive celebration of the heritage of Mexican Americans. In many cities there are parades and events featuring Mexican culture, music, dancing, and food. 

Curious? 

Find out more about Cinco de Mayo here: https://kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Cinco-de-Mayo/352963