In tribute to the National Foreign Language Week, Walt Whitman’s World Language Honor Society hosted their annual International Night. This year’s theme of “Fall in Love With Learning Languages'' was beautifully represented by Whitman’s talented students. The yearly event held just before Spring Break aided in fundraising for Unicef with an array of great international foods to sample, while guests enjoyed dance routines and musical numbers in the high school’s Performing Arts Center.
The evening began with the playing of songs from Thailand performed by WWHS orchestra students and conducted by Andrew Fogel. Following the beautiful string pieces were Irish Step Dancers from Mulvihill-Lynch Irish Dance Studio who brought great energy to the stage. French students Lily O'Phelan, Kate O'Phelan, Jadelyn Cho, Porter Chetty, Keyli Vera, and Andrew Fogel joined together afterwards to sing "Champs Élysées,” before the Tarantella was performed by dancers from Walt Whitman’s Modern Dance I class.
For the first time this year, the Latino Heritage Club put together a Quinceanera Fashion Show, giving students the opportunity to strut across the stage in their beautiful dresses. The Club also gathered on stage to perform traditional dances, just after the Step Team commanded the stage for their routine. Beautiful dance routines also included Seniors Magaly Garay and Brian Portillo Melgar with a modern dance titled "Por um Instante" to "São Tomé na Equador'' by Cesária Evora, and Walt Whitman’s new Greek-American Club, The Hellenicats, performed a traditional Greek dance.
The crowd was easily impressed by the number of musical performances as well, including Junior Porter Chetty singing French song "Papaoutai" by Stromae, Gabriella Finochio playing "La Llorona" on the piano, and Freshmen Sarah Bruzal and Jordin Rubin singing the Italian Anthem. Junior Priscilla Ramierez showcased her talents by playing "Happy Day in Paris" on the accordion, and Madeleine Bas continued the French theme as she played the song "Régrets" by Louis Diémer on the piano.
The audience was thrilled to hear music from a number of student bands, including Sophomores Antoni Gamez, Franklin Parada and friends who performed "Me Gustas Tu" by Manu Chao. The always loved band Cat-a-Tonic, consisting of Seniors Marc Malafronte, Alderhany Georges, Colin Murphy, and Anthony Maida, played some original music, and the night was capped off with the band Middle Ground playing "Voy Pa'lla" by Anthony Santos and "Esa Mujer" by Luis Vargas.
The evening was a tremendous success as celebrations for National Foreign Language week and fundraising donations for Unicef continued. Thank you all who participated and shared their talents, and to our community for their generosity! Great job by World Language Honor Society officers, President Magaly Garay, Co-Vice-Presidents Annabella Sciberras and Tiziana Orona-Gaber, Co-Treasurers Lindsay Alms and Sarah Duffy, Co-Secretaries Kaitlin Guttler and Eliana Montague, and Publicity Director Sarah Caporusso. Thank you to the club’s advisor, Ms. Aileen D'Addario, and to our World Language Department and Building Administration for all of their support!
Seniors Magaly Garay and Brian Portillo Melgar performed a beautiful modern dance titled "Por um Instante" to "São Tomé na Equador" by Cesária Evora.
It was great to welcome back Irish Step Dancers from the Mulvihill-Lynch Irish Dance Studio to the stage.
French students Lily O'Phelan, Kate O'Phelan, Jadelyn Cho, Porter Chetty, Keyli Vera, and Andrew Fogel joined together to sing "Champs Élysées.”
Freshmen Sarah Bruzal and Jordin Rubin beautifully sang the Italian Anthem.
For the first time this year, the Latino Heritage Club put together a Quinceanera Fashion Show, giving students the opportunity to strut across the stage in their beautiful dresses.
Walt Whitman’s new Greek-American Club, The Hellenicats, performed a traditional Greek dance.
The band Middle Ground, consisting of WWHS students Alex Feliciano, Addie Balogun, Chris Ortiz, Andrew Lorente, Andrew Fogel, Aaron Cimadevillia, and Marc Malafronte, played "Voy Pa'lla" by Anthony Santos "Esa Mujer" by Luis Vargas.
After the show, World Language Honor Society officers were serving up some delicious traditional foods from a variety of countries, including taquitos from Mexico and spanakopita from Greece.