Students return to Ellis Island

HARPER SMITH/Acorn Newspapers A NEW WORLD- Stone Halpern, right, and his classmates, all third graders at White Oak Elementary in Westlake Village, reenact the journeys of their ancestors entering America through Ellis Island. Their trip began with a simulated ship ride to the island, a stop at customs and medical examinations. A social studies lesson on immigration at White Oak Elementary School in Westlake Village made history come alive for third-grade students reenacting the journeys of their ancestors who came to America through Ellis Island at New York Harbor more than 100 years ago.

As their ancestors did before them, the children arrived in America via a painted wooden model of the Lusitania and gazed at the Statue of Liberty, their symbol of freedom and fortune.

The third-graders, however, didn't have to bother knowing how to read the famous poem at the statue's base. White Oak parent Lisa Glassman became the Statue of Liberty for the day, reciting the poem to the five groups of children who passed her on their way to Ellis Island. With her torch raised, Glassman inspired the tired, the poor and the "huddled masses yearning to breathe free . . ."

Each third-grade student chose an ancestor and researched the details of that ancestor's home country, where they settled in America, the professions they chose and the hardships they endured. By the time they stepped into Ellis Island at White Oak, the youngsters were ready to tackle their new world, even if it meant being held in detention for such petty crimes as having sleeves that were too long or not offering a "big enough bribe" to the detention cop, one of whom was portrayed by Michael Wolpert, a grandfather of one of the student immigrants.

Dressed in red kilts and cap, one boy took the role of his great greatgreat-great-grandfather, William Muir, from Clackmanan, Scotland. "I learned he liked to play golf," the youngster said about his ancestor.

The re-creation of Ellis Island included 12 stations, including a registration area, money exchange, post office, a detention center and even a medical center where each new arrival was inspected for disease, including lice. American hopefuls were either cleared for their next station or placed in quarantine if diseased.

Lillian Kraus traveled from Kiev, Russia, to make America her home. Kraus was the student's great-great-grandmother. "She was brave," the child said. "She had a husband in New York and a baby named Pearl."

"This is something that is one of the highlights of the thirdgrade experience," said Trudy Shapiro, one of the third-grade teachers. "The children remember this for years to come, and it helps them connect with their ancestors." Shapiro said the program has evolved over the years, and credited its success to the sheer numbers of volunteers who participate each year.

Oceanis Hopkins was an important ancestor to one child. He said Hopkins was "sort of a cousin," who was born on the Mayflower, settled in Texas and became a carpenter.

"They thought the streets were lined with gold," said Sylvia Leong, a third-grade teacher who has participated in the event for eight years. "Immigrants were so courageous," Leong said, comparing the anxietyfilled experience of traveling to a new land to that of space exploration today.

"(The Ellis Island program) brings social studies to life," Leong said.