Cultural Day
On Wednesday, November 24, 2005 Henry Street School students were offered a different set of classes--classes with a cultural flair. All students were encouraged to try something new for the afternoon before the Thanksgiving holiday. They were able to participate in a Mexican fiesta, attempt tai chi or yoga or learn a bit of French. Students hoping to try out their new skills around the world could take a workshop on applying for passports.

Ninth grade students were treated to a guest speaker from the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. Victoria Confino, a Spanish-speaking immigrant from 1916, arrived to introduce the students (pretending to be immigrants themselves) to the Lower East Side. She helped them dress so they would “look American” and be able to procure jobs, taught them how to negotiate for a stove to keep warm and assigned the youngest "daughter" a dubious honor: the cleaning of the chamber pots!

For more information on the Tenement Museum, visit:

Lower East Side Tenement Museum | www.tenement.org

Lower East Side Visitors Center | www.lowereastsideny.com