Around the world and back in one day

BRICK — Students at Lake Riviera Middle School took a trip around the world last Thursday.

Seventh-grade students played host for their second annual World Fair on March 17 and although it was St. Patrick’s Day, the students traveled to more countries than just Ireland.

The nations of Austria, Israel, Chile, Turkey, Madagascar, Iceland, Venezuela, Greece, Russia, Cherokee Nation, Ireland, Nigeria, Philippines, Tahiti, Cuba and Australia were researched, explored and presented in a variety of fashions by the students. The 400 seventh-graders are divided into 16 homerooms that each took on a different country, said Ron Heitman, a seventh-grade language arts and science teacher.

PHOTOSBY SCOTT PILLING staff At left, Lake Riviera Middle School seventh-graders Samantha Hurley (l-r), Morgan Bokenko, Kaitlin Teixeira and Cortney Jones entertain students at their Tahiti exhibit during Thursday’s World Fair. Above, seventh-grader Emma Erbig paints Emmy Guzman’s face at the Cuba exhibit. The World Fair was started because the seventh-graders needed a special project of their own, Heitman said. The sixth-grade students at Lake Riviera hold a Civil War re-enactment each year; and the eighth-graders put together a Renaissance Fair.

“Every single seventh-grader participated,” Heitman said.

Each homeroom researched the history, food, religions and other aspects of their particular country. They then built a replica of a famous monument from that country, Heitman said.

Not only did the students get to show off their projects to their parents last week, but they led students from the school district’s Primary Learning Center through the World Fair as well. The seventh-graders planned activities — such as making dream catchers at the Cherokee Nation exhibit — and performances — ballet from Russia and a scene from “The Sound of Music” for Austria.

The project was a culmination of about six months of work, Heitman said.

“A lot of it was done after school,” he said.

Part of the World Fair also included giving the students touring a passport. After visiting each country, the students received a stamp and after collecting a number of stamps, the students earned a visit to the international food court.

Heitman said he and two other seventh-grade teachers helped the students organize the fair. He and Linda Barnfield, a math and social studies teacher, and Vicki Lawrence, a resource teacher, are known as the “World Fair trio.”

The fair is sponsored each year by the PTA and has grown dramatically since the first year, Heitman said.

“It allows each individual student to shine in an area that they are good at,” Heitman said. “Every single student is involved, and that is what makes the World Fair something to be proud of.”

— Jennifer Dome