ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602220045
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
IT'S TIME FOR TET, as a dozen Vietnamese students help classmates at Garden City Elementary School ring in the start of their calendar period.
The children's eyes widened as the red, orange and green dragon snaked its way up the aisle to the beat of a drum.
The dragon mesmerized the pupils as they sat crunched together on the floor, unsure what it would do next.
Teacher Judy Marlow told them to watch the creature because it had magical powers, would bring good luck and could bring rain in the spring.
It's a long way from Vietnam to Garden City Elementary School. But a dozen Vietnamese pupils used the dragon - and their talents as singers and dancers - to bring their homeland a little closer to the Southeast Roanoke school Wednesday.
For more than an hour, the Vietnamese children entertained their classmates with songs, dances and other activities from Tet, the New Year's celebration in Vietnam.
And the Vietnamese children's families brought trays of traditional food from their country for pupils and teachers. They cooked more than 400 egg rolls for the program.
"We wanted to show that we appreciate the school and the teachers who have taught our children," said Ngoc Cuc Cao, mother of three children who just finished attending Garden City .
Marlow, a teacher in the city's English as a Second Language program, helped arrange the New Year's celebration so the Vietnamese children could share their culture with their American classmates.
The Vietnamese children have studied American holidays and traditions since they have been in this country, Marlow said. Most have been in the United States three or four years; others were born here.
"Often, they would say they had forgot about Vietnamese holidays because they have been here several years," she said.
Marlow asked the children if they would like to study Vietnamese holidays and traditions. They said yes and spent several weeks learning about Tet and other holidays.
The children decided they would like to share what they had learned with the entire school.
Quang Tran and Thao Nguyen, two of the Vietnamese students at Garden City who took part in the Tet festivities, wore traditional dresses with red, green and purple sashes as they performed a drum dance. The boys in the dance, Phuong Le and Tan Nguyen, carried small drums.
The central idea of the Tet festival is the renewal of humans and nature. The Vietnamese believe that humans were never meant to remove themselves from nature.
The holiday dates back several thousand years to when the Vietnamese people farmed the land and worked closely with the cycle of nature. In Vietnam, preparations for Tet begin months in advance. Throughout the three days of Tet, there is a lot of public entertainment.
Marlow said she believes the New Year's celebration was good for both the Vietnamese and American children. "I think it's important in helping them to understand each other," she said.
Roanoke has about 175 foreign children in its elementary schools and 75 in its middle and high schools this year. Many come from Vietnam, school officials said, but there also are children from Bosnia, Brazil, China, Cuba, Haiti, India, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Mexico, Rwanda, Russia and Spain.
Fifth-grader Long Nguyen wore a University of Notre Dame sweat shirt as he explained Vietnamese traditions to classmates. He likes the Fighting Irish and said he would like to play football for the school.
Garden City pupils such as fourth-grader Robert Wack said they have learned more about Vietnam.
"I learned they have New Year's resolutions just like we do."
LENGTH: Medium: 79 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: WAYNE DEEL/Staff. 1. Vietnamese pupils who attend Gardenby CNBCity Elementary School take part in a drum dance as part of the
festivities for Tet, the Vietnamese new year. 2. Student Phuong Le,
right, leads a Tet parade as he waves to a dragon that is said to
have magical powers. color. 3. With a plate of Vietnamese food in
hand, Garden City Elementary School third-grader Adam Tuesburg tries
an egg roll as he celebrates Tet.