Kirby's Fremont

Eating Dinner with the Family

By Kirby Lindsay

This is a B.F. Day Family Dinner. Held in the school in North Fremont, it is a chaotic but cheerful scene. Being neither parent nor faculty, I was a little overwhelmed at first, then wholly welcomed before long.

This is the fifth year of the dinners. Begun as a monthly gathering, they are now run at a more leisurely, and do-able, schedule of every other month. Each dinner has a theme. November 3 will be their annual "Harvest Dance" featuring Italian food. January 6 is the bilingual dinner, encouraging the families of their most recently immigrated students to participate in planning a menu and entertainment that reflects their culture. Last year the food, and focus, was from Laos. March 30 will be an African-American theme and May 25 is Latino.

The dinner I attended last spring was Latino and featured a delicious meal of Puerto Rican chicken, frijoles, homemade tortillas, empanadas and postre (cake). After dinner there is always an art activity and/or educational portion of the evening focused on showcasing another culture. Last spring we were treated to an impressive demonstration of Flamenco dancing by two professional artists, as well as pinatas for the kids.

"We want to teach about other cultures to kids and parents," Margo Siegenthaler, Volunteer Coordinator at B.F. Day School explained. This is only one reason for the dinner. "The idea is to gather together. A lot of the children are bused and live all over the city. This would be something the families can participate in." Many parents help in planning and making the meals.

A sense of family definitely dominated the scene. Not individual families but one large, extensive family--sharing, celebrating and enjoying each other. Before and after the flamenco dancing we were treated to short performances by a variety of students in a gymnasium liberally decorated with tissue paper flowers. The talent was impressive, and the effort obvious.

Children do come to B.F. Day from all over the city, to a school with many different programs supporting an amazingly diverse population. At dinner I found a seat next to Wanda Current and her family. They live in the Central District, but, "I chose this school," Wanda stated proudly. Her son, Joey, has attended B.F. Day since first grade and will be graduating at the end of this year. Joey has Downs syndrome, is considered "high functioning" and has done very well in the Blended Classroom program at B.F. Day. This program brings together children of varying abilities into a class, then integrates them with other classes in the school. This program encourages the children of all abilities to learn to appreciate one another. "The world is diverse," Wanda explained, "and there are important lessons for everybody" that can be learned only by mixing together and working together.

The family dinners at B.F. Day give Wanda, a working parent, an opportunity to check in with Joey's teachers, his principal, Susan McCloskey, who is in the center of the whole evening, school friends and the City Year volunteers that help in Joey's class. Last spring Wanda was "already grieving" the loss of this loving, nurturing environment for her son. "Everyone knows middle school is horrible for boys" according to Joey's mom.

Members of the community are invited to come experience the B.F. Day family for themselves. Parents of future elementary students are strongly encouraged to take this opportunity to learn about the school. Besides, the next dinner, on November 3, sounds too good to miss. The always-entertaining Canote Brothers will be performing a concert. A cake walk contest, using cakes and pies made by parents, is also scheduled with an almost guaranteed prize for all participants. Even campaigning Congressman Jim McDermott has decided to join the fun.

"People are welcome, they just need to let me know," Margo suggested. Please call her at (206) 633-6470 a week beforehand so she can be sure to have enough food. Believe me, this is one meal that will feed you--body and soul!

Kirby Lindsay lives the concept of Fremo-centricity (the belief that the world revolves around Fremont). If you have questions for her, you may write c/o The Seattle Press or e-mail to fremont@oz.net.

Reader Comments

Discuss this article in the forums!