NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

“ AT RIDGEWAY Elementary, kindergarten students enjoy the secular aspects of Easter, making |
colorful baskets and bunnies. Here, little Taira decorates a psanky, or Ukrainian Easter egq,
using wax and dye. The children got instruction in making psanky from parent Kallie Biln. ;

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Elementary

a

Today’s young students
taught to ‘do their own
thing’ during the holiday

EASTER CELEBRATIONS
for youngsters in North Shore
schools are necessarily secu-
larized, says
kindergarten
teacher Tami McGrew.

By Kate Zimmerman
News Reporter

McGrew believes small children
like those in her class ure too young
to deal with the story of Christ's
crucifixion and resurrection. ;

Just as importantly, many of the
kids McGrew teaches in ‘her sunny,
brightly decorated classroom come
from non-Christian cultures. “Most
of them are Anglo-Saxon,” she said,
“bul they are also Punjabi.”

McGrew said older children at
the schoo] are taught the Easter
story and told of its significance to
Christianity. At the kindergarten
level, however, the children are just
told that Easter is a Christian holi-
day.

As a Christian, McGrew finds
having to employ this somewhat
terse description a little difficult.
But she realizes that this is the
nature of schools now —— students’
backgrounds aren’t homogeneous
and the school board therefore
ptefers to steer clear of religious
affiliation. 4

McGrew said teachers are left to
their.own devices when it comes to
marking Easter. “It’s just kind-of
‘do your own thing.’ ”

Earlier this week, that meant her,

Ridgeway -

morning kindergarten class was
engrossed in weaving Easter bas-
kets out of pastel construction
paper, which McGrew deftly folded
and stapled into squares, attaching
handles the 15 children had decorat-
ed.McGrew said in her four years of
teaching she has never had a parent
complain about including this non-
religious aspect of the Easter ritual
in the children’s schedule. The kids
also decorate and take home Easter
Bunnies, and in the weeks prior to
the holiday fisten to McGrew read-
ing stories and poems about the
Easter Bunny.

McGrew said there are so many
cultures represented in North Shore
schools these days it’s impossible
for a teacher to keep track of and
pay tribute to ail of their celebra-
tions and rituals.

“As a leacher, you can’t give
equal weight to all (cultures),
because you don’t know them,” she
explained.

McGrew was delighted this year
when Kallic Biln, the mother of one

‘of her students, volunteered to

come to the class and teach the chil-
dren how to make the Ukrainian
Easter eggs called psanky. The
process involves making designs on

‘eggs in wax and then dying them to.

make complex patterns. -

The results -— elaborately-deco-
rated eggs in the traditional Easter
colors of purple and yellow —- were
lovely to behold.

“She was a parent with expertise
which she wanted to share with the
kids,” said McGrew.

“I thought that was fantastic.”

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