New English speakers celebrate skills

Immigrant students who learned English together went on a cruise and celebrated the end of class and all the cultures they came from with music, food and fun.  - - Donna Poisl

BY DAVID YONKE, BLADE STAFF WRITER

A tray of hummus was wrapped in a big red, white, and blue (with stars) ribbon. Arabic dance tunes were followed by "Yankee Doodle Dandy" and "Hail to the Chief." Conversations in English occasionally detoured into Arabic or Chinese.

The blend of cultures was world-class on Wednesday as 60 immigrants from as many as 40 nations took a cruise on the Maumee River to celebrate the end of the school year and their English to Speakers of Other Languages class.

The leisurely lunchtime cruise aboard the Sandpiper included a potluck smorgasbord worthy of the United Nations, with chicken dishes, sliced beef, pasta, a variety of rice dishes, tabbouleh, hummus, plantains, and an array of desserts.
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