A Call from Texas!

 

 

At the Richmond Hill Community Center (RHCC) we have a special summer program.  In this program, we have video conferences almost everyday we video conference with students from Zavala Magnet Elementary School in Odessa, Texas.  The students are working with their teacher Pam Hicks doing a heritage project.  Some of us have videoconferenced before, and some of us haven’t.  When we got in front of the screen, some of us felt a little confident, and some of us felt like we had butterflies in our stomach.  We were nervous.  Some of us showed our nervous expressions by talking softly.  To communicate with the students in Odessa we either had to pass the microphone or go up to the microphone.  While we were talking to the students we were sitting in a certain way.  We have a table where we put two rows of chairs on each side, the front of the desk, and the back of it.  We also have an expensive special television and videoconference system that can receive calls from other states and countries all over the world.

 

 

 

 

 

      You can learn more about the students’ heritage project by logging on to their website

        http://www.ector-county.k12.tx.us/Schools/ZAV/

 

 

 

Through video conferencing, the students in Odessa began by explaining their family’s heritage to us and we did the same.   We also met two genealogists.  A genealogist is a person that studies family history.  Marilyn Hicks, Pam Hicks’s mother is a genealogist.  She is a member of Colonial Dames, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and Daughters of the American Revolution.  She gave us a lot of information about the history of Texas and her family.  Her family history traces back as far as the year 9AD.  A few of her ancestors are as far back as the 1100’s.    We also met Genealogist Suzy Pack. 

 

We are lucky to have so many new friends in Odessa

 

Marilyn Hicks reads from her family history	Marilyn Hicks reads from the "Holey" Book

 

One thing we shared with the students in Odessa is our family heritage.  The first time we spoke to the students in Odessa we introduced ourselves by saying our names and nationalities.  We asked each other questions and said some comments about each other’s backgrounds.  We also talked about how our family members showed courage and perseverance in immigrating to America.  We also shared our thoughts about the book This Is America.

                                                                                                                     

  

 

Not only have the students in Odessa interviewed us kids, but also some adults.  As a matter of fact, we had two exciting adult interviews.  The interview was a big success.  The Odessa students asked Rebecca’s mom, who was getting interviewed, where she was from.  She answered sharing two places; India and Bangladesh.  That shows us that we have cultural people in New York.  The Odessa students also asked Rebecca’s mom if her children speak Bengali.  She said that they speak some and they understand completely.  This shows us that no one can change who you are.  You can see, “A Call from Texas,” can make you say a lot!  The children in Odessa asked Rebecca’s mom many other questions like her favorite dishes and the religions she follows.

 

                                                                                                                                               

 

The second adult came to get interviewed two days later.  It was Anton’s mother.  She told the students in Odessa how she spent her life in America and where her family is from.  We learned that Anton’s ancestors came from Italy and had a hard getting here.  She said that it was difficult at that time.  Anton’s mother had a lot to say and it was interesting for the kids in Odessa and for us to hear a really interesting story about coming to America.  She told us where most of her family was from before they came to America.  We also learned that her great grandfather fought in World War I and that Anton’s grandfather fought in World War II.