"Window on America" information and resource center held the 6th meeting of cultural project "Christmas bells jingle". The head of "Window on America" Svetlana Usenko told about the Christmas season in USA and Ukraine to students of the school №40.
The WOA staff introduced the group to some less known symbols of American Xmas. The American flower symbol of Xmas was presented – the beautiful red poinsettia. The nativity scene as a Xmas tradition in the USA was presented and several images were discussed. Several popular Xmas songs were offered to the group and the teenagers happily sang along.
The group listened to the globally popular “Carol of the Bells” A.K.A "Shchedryk" by the Ukrainian composer Leontovich. The iconic song was offered in traditional and modern variations. The group was eager to sing along other Xmas hits – «Jingle bells», “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer”, “Santa Clause Is coming to town” and others.
Young DOUNB Library friends enjoyed the music. For the teenagers US Christmas is a start of the bright and merry Winter Holiday season! They will remember new facts about the Christian culture, and will learn more about the culture of the friendly American people.
We hope that this presentation will be an extra motivation for the students to learn English.
Number of participants – 8 persons.
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Christmas Celebration
Today Gabfest Club ("Window on America", Dnipropetrovsk / Ukraine) had a Catholic Christmas session. The session was attended by our foreign guests Mr. Jason and Mr. Paul. The club members were happy to have such a pleasant Xmas surprise, especially the newcomers. As Mr. Paul is recently new to our Club we started the session with the introduction ritual during which the new-comers introduced themselves to the group, the Club’s committee was introduced and the history behind the Club’s name was explained.
The Xmas topic selected for the discussion was “Xmas Attributes in the USA”. This topic allowed introducing symbolic elements of Xmas celebration that are not known in Ukraine, but are very popular in the USA. Thus we talked about such traditional things as advent calendars for children, nativity scenes (art pieces for indoors and life-size for outdoors), poinsettia flowers and wreaths, handmade gifts and Xmas menu. Our native-speaking guests made comments and provided explanations.
At the end of the session the group recited a poem about the Gabfest Club wrote by Svitlana G. – our colleague from the DOUNB Library. The session was wrapped up by a musical farewell – the Club’s activist Valentina, a professional music educator, played Xmas music on the piano. Mr. Jason also demonstrated his playing skills to the fellow club-members.
The Gabfest Club Committee has a long tradition of Xmas parties. The year 2015 was no exception. The fund-rising campaign allowed us to set a beautiful Xmas tea table with the assortment of sweet snacks and season fruit. The table was decorated with handcrafts provided by the WOA’s friends from partner schools.
The highlight of the party was a karaoke competition. The Club members introduced their favorite Xmas songs and urged the fellows to sing along. Mr. Paul introduced a Xmas song popular in the UK. It impressed the group to such extent that people started to twist to the great tune. Some tastes in music differed, but the pop music fans allowed our ex-president Vlad to introduce his favorite hard rock Xmas hit.
The atmosphere of the Gabfest Xmas party was so warm and forthcoming that people of all ages (from teen-agers to retired adults) mixed and mingled and enjoyed each other’s company.
The hilarious spirits will stay with the Gabfest Club members until the New Year and Orthodox Xmas!
Number of participants – 33 persons.
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"Window on America" information and resource center held the 3rd meeting of its cultural project "Christmas bells jingle". The head of "Window on America" Svetlana Usenko visited students of the specialized school №22 for talking about the Christmas season in USA and Ukraine.
The WOA staff introduced the group to some less known symbols of American Xmas. The American flower symbol of Xmas was presented – the beautiful red poinsettia. The nativity scene as a Xmas tradition in the USA was presented and several images were discussed. Several popular Xmas songs were offered to the group and the teenagers happily sang along.
The group listened to the globally popular “Carol of the Bells” A.K.A "Shchedryk" by the Ukrainian composer Leontovich. The iconic song was offered in traditional and modern variations. The group was eager to sing along other Xmas hits – «Jingle bells», “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer”, “Santa Clause Is coming to town” and others.
Young DOUNB Library friends enjoyed the music. For the teenagers US Christmas is a start of the bright and merry Winter Holiday season! They will remember new facts about the Christian culture, and will learn more about the culture of the friendly American people.
We hope that this presentation will be an extra motivation for the students to learn English.
Number of participants – 65 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please
"Window on America" information and resource center held the 2nd meeting of its cultural project "Christmas bells jingle". "Window on America" staff Svetlana Usenko and Tamara Gavryliuk decorated the premises for Christmas – in traditional color scheme and with hand-made gifts from partner school kids. A Christmas tree was put up with lovely decoration. The 8th year students of the specialized school №23 visited the facility at the start of the Christmas season in Ukraine. The meeting was attended by the WOA’s American volunteer Mr. Jason which was a pleasant surprise for the teachers and students. The group arrived with an assortment of Xmas cookies and had a nice Xmas tea ceremony with the WOA staff.
The WOA staff introduced the group to some less known symbols of American Xmas. The American flower symbol of Xmas was presented – the beautiful red poinsettia. The nativity scene as a Xmas tradition in the USA was presented and several images were discussed. Several popular Xmas songs were offered to the group and the teenagers happily sang along.
The presence of our American volunteer gave the students an opportunity to practice their speaking skills. They asked Mr. Jason numerous questions about his family Xmas traditions, his impressions of Ukraine and Dnipropetrovsk.
The group listened to the globally popular “Carol of the Bells” A.K.A "Shchedryk" by the Ukrainian composer Leontovich. The iconic song was offered in traditional and modern variations. The group was eager to sing along other Xmas hits – «Jingle bells», “Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer”, “Santa Clause Is coming to town” and others.
Young DOUNB Library friends enjoyed the music and the warm atmosphere of the Xmas tea party. They will take from the library back home the wonderful memories of meeting a real American. For the teenagers US Christmas is a start of the bright and merry Winter Holiday season! They will remember new facts about the Christian culture, and will learn more about the culture of the friendly American people.
We hope that this festive tea party with an American guest at the "Window on America" center will be an extra motivation for the students to learn English.
Number of participants – 21 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please
«Window on America» Dnipropetrovsk information and resource center held the first meeting of its cultural project «Christmas bells jingle». The 4th year students of the specialized school №23 visited the facility at the start of the Christmas season in Ukraine.
The librarians told the group about the background of Xmas characters – the Ukrainian St. Nicholas and the American Santa Claus. The American flower symbol of Xmas was introduced – the beautiful poinsettia. Typical American festive meals, gifts and entertainment were also presented. "Window on America" staff Svetlana Usenko and Tamara Gavryliuk decorated the premises for Christmas – in red and green color scheme and with hand-made gifts from partner school kids. A Christmas tree was put up with lovely decoration. Students learned a Xmas set of new words, watched a few Xmas videos, and listened to globally popular “Carol of the Bells” A.K.A "Shchedryk" by the Ukrainian composer Leontovich. The iconic song was offered in traditional and modern variations. The group was eager to sing along another Xmas hit – «Jingle bells».
Young DOUNB Library friends enjoyed the music and the festive atmosphere. They will take from the library back home the wonderful memories and Xmas spirit. For the kids Christmas is a bright and merry holiday! They will remember new facts about the Christian world, and will learn more about the culture of the friendly American people.
We hope that this festive meeting at the "Window on America" center will be an extra motivation for the students to learn English and read the book!
Number of participants – 24 persons.
Have a look at more pictures, please
