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At the Hands Around the School assembly, students see the work of their hands and a well-timed rainbow.
By DONNA WINCHESTER
© St. Petersburg Times, published October 17, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- The sun was still rising over Rio Vista Elementary Friday when the students began arriving on the physical education field. They came in threes and fours, dressed in red, white and blue, smiling in the morning light.
Guided by their teachers, they lined up along the chain-link fence and formed a huge circle around the field at 8131 Macoma Drive NE. Asian children joined African-American and white children. Palestinian, Armenian and Croatian children stood shoulder to shoulder with Vietnamese, Venezuelan and American children.
Wearing buttons with pro-America sentiments and tricolored ribbons, nearly 600 students gathered for Rio Vista's second Hands Around the School assembly. Organized by the multicultural committee, the event debuted last year to demonstrate the students' solidarity as a school and a community, and their commitment to being citizens of the world. Friday's event featured a patriotic theme to honor the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"We're celebrating America," fifth-grader Brittany Adams said. "I think we look pretty good."
She smiled as she surveyed her classmates, then turned her attention to principal Wayne Whitney, who had stepped inside the circle. He opened the assembly by reminding the students why they were there: to show respect, honor and dedication to the United States and to express gratitude for the efforts being made to keep the country safe and free.
"We should be proud to be citizens of this country," Mr. Whitney said before introducing 1st Vice Cmdr. William R. West from American Legion Gateway Post 357. Mr. West urged the children not to blame Muslims for the incidents in New York and Washington, D.C., and told them that after traveling extensively in Europe this year, he is glad to be back in the United States.
After his remarks, fifth-graders Kenny Gehringer and Jason Wagner stood on folding chairs and held an American flag up to the crowd. Mr. Whitney asked the children to join hands and introduced third-grade teacher Annie Dix, who sang The Star-Spangled Banner.
Several adults, including Kenny's mom, Terri, a teacher's assistant in the varying exceptionalities primary class, found it hard to conceal their emotions. Mrs. Gehringer blinked back tears as the children pledged their allegiance to the flag and sang America the Beautiful.
Before closing the assembly, Mr. Whitney introduced Cheri Samon, owner of a local quilt shop. Ms. Samon provided 12- by 12-inch muslin squares to the children several weeks ago with the promise that after they designed and hand-painted them, she would stitch them together for a victim of the attacks. She brought the "healing quilt" to the assembly to show the students the result of their efforts.
While the children were gazing at the 70- by 100-inch quilt emblazoned with hearts and flags and eagles, one of them saw a rainbow in the sky. As news of the rainbow spread from student to student, their attention was torn between the wonder of the quilt in front of them and the beauty of the sky above them. They left the field casting backward glances.
Ernie Brown, father of Nicole, 9, and Jacob, 6, had rescheduled several meetings to join his children at the assembly. He held their hands as they headed back to their classrooms.
"The kids really wanted me to be here, and I wanted to be here for them," he said. "I wanted to be a part of this."
It was what third-grade teacher and multicultural committee chair Johnnie Campbell had been hoping for. Mrs. Campbell and the committee co-chairman, physical education teacher Bob Shaw, said the Hands Around the School assemblies were created to bring students together as a family.
"We join hands with each other," Mrs. Campbell said. "We cooperate."
Martha Jilkes, who teaches third- and fourth-grade ESOL, or English for Speakers of Other Languages, said that Friday's assembly bridged the gaps created by culture and language barriers.
"We linked hands to show unity and oneness," she said. "It doesn't matter what country you are from. We showed we are a population that is working together."