A presentation on Italy was taught by students from Bridgewater-Raritan High School to the 3rd-grade classrooms at the John F. Kennedy Primary School on Thursday, April 9.
The two classes of Bridgewater-Raritan High School students from Italian IV Honors and AP Italian Language and Culture visited the 3rd Grade classrooms of Kim Cook, Jessica Panatieri, Elizabeth LoPiccolo, Wayne Segal, Marisa Keenan, Angela Randazzo, and Maureen Brooks at JFK.
During the morning-long sessions, the high school students introduced the Italian language and culture to their young peers at JFK.
Their trip and project were under the guidance of their devoted Italian Teachers, Giuseppina Bologno and Giuseppina DiMartino, who are also the Co-Advisors of the high school’s Italian Honor Society.
“We were able to visit the 3rd Grade classrooms at JFK Primary School, thanks to the initiative and coordination of Principal Aldo Russo and the Supervisor of World Language and ESL, LeighAnn Matthews,” Ms. Bologna and Ms. Dimartino revealed.
“Without Mr. Russo’s enthusiasm for this cultural exchange, this event would never have happened. He warmly welcomed the high school students and worked closely with the elementary teachers, Ms. Cook and Ms. Panatieri, Mrs. LoPiccolo, Mr. Segal, Mrs. Keenan, Mrs. Randazzo, and Mrs. Brooks.”
Ms. Bologna and Ms. DiMartino discussed the lessons.
“The high school students led a series of engaging, hands-on Italian lessons designed for young learners. Through lively introductions, games, and creative activities, the third graders learned to greet one another in Italian, identify colors, count numbers, name animals, and even explore Italian geography. Within minutes, the students were speaking and smiling in Italian. A highlight of this morning was “Simon Says” in Italian, an effective strategy to teach body parts and movement actions to the children in a fun competition.
“To conclude the experience, the children discovered the joy of dancing the Italian Tarantella and celebrated their own version of Carnevale, the famous Italian festival, by creating their own decorated masks and parading around the school.”
Ms. Di Martino and Ms. Bologno shared that they were extremely impressed with the high school students’ teaching prowess and their success in balancing fun engagement with valuable cultural lessons with such a young audience.
They appreciated the efforts of all who made the journey very successful.
“We extend heartfelt thanks to Principal Russo for his vision and commitment to this exchange, to Ms. LeighAnn Matthews for her ongoing support, to the dedicated elementary teachers for their openness and collaboration, and to the extraordinary students whose curiosity and enthusiasm made the day unforgettable. It was truly a joyful and inspiring celebration of learning, language, and community.”