International Day
Pulsing salsa music and four Latin dancers greeted Richmond Public School students as they filed into University of Richmond’s North Court Reception Hall for a dance workshop the morning of April 19. Shy at first, the Overby-Sheppard Elementary School fifth graders and Henderson Middle School students quickly found their dancing feet.
Jolmi Minaya Suriel, ’13, whose family emigrated from the Dominican Republic; Jennyfer Hernandez Austria, ’15, originally from Mexico; Lizeth Martinez, ’15, of Mexico; and Samuel Diaz Pulgar, ’16, of Venezuela, led the children through bachata, merengue, and salsa dance moves. The dance workshop culminated with laughter and applause as Minaya Suriel and an Overby-Sheppard chaperone sashayed their way through a face-paced salsa duet.
So started the third annual International Day.
“The idea for International Day grew out of a conversation I had in the summer of 2010 with then-Overby-Sheppard principal Susan Stokes,” said Cassie Price, community initiatives and program manager for the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement (CCE).
“The CCE has been partnering with Overby-Sheppard since 2005 through Build It, the University’s civic-engagement initiative based in the Northside Richmond neighborhood of Highland Park,” Price said.
“Susan told me that many of her students seldom if ever have the opportunity to be exposed to world cultures. I thought about all the incredible resources we have at UR, and I told her we could do something about that.”
The result was the first International Day in spring 2011 for the Overby-Sheppard fifth graders.
This year, Henderson Middle School students who participate in an after-school International Culture Club, led by UR's English-as-a-Second-Language Program director Nuray Grove and her international students, came too.
“International Day represents the best in cross-campus collaboration,” Price said. “Dr. Andy McGraw, an ethnomusicologist and associate professor of music, made it possible for our guests to enjoy the hauntingly beautiful songs of Black Sea Hotel, a Balkan-music group visiting the Carole Weinstein International Center as part of UR’s Global Music Series.
“During our lunch visit to Heilman Dining Center, chef David Bevan of England introduced our guests to an array of international food, including the Italian pasta, Ramen noodle, and Indian stations," Price said. "Many children topped off their meal with dacquoise, a French meringue layer cake."
“The salsa dancing and the food were highlights of our students’ visit to campus,” said Deneen Scott, Henderson Communities in Schools (CIS) site coordinator. “They love eating in D-Hall.”
“International Day provides our children with both a cultural experience and a university experience,” said Overby-Sheppard CIS site coordinator Bridget Ungerleider. “When they are with the UR international students, they can indulge their thirst for learning about other languages.”
For their part, the UR international students, who comprise 11 percent of the undergraduate student population and represent almost 80 countries, enjoy sharing their languages and cultures with the children.
“As instructors, we helped the children learn to dance with a lot of encouragement and silliness and just by joining in on the fun,” Martinez said.
Photo: Jolmi Minaya Suriel, ’13, salsa dances with an Overby-Sheppard Elementary School chaperone during International Day.