FULLERTON : A Lesson in Citizenship, Struggles of Immigrants

Students at Acacia Elementary School, who on Monday dressed as immigrants from different countries, found that becoming a U.S. citizen is not easy.

“It’s sort of scary coming into the United States,” said 10-year-old Maureen Rowland, dressed in a kimono and sandals. “It’s hard to give up customs or accept new ones. Immigrants have it hard.”

Maureen and about 90 other fifth-graders and 11 fourth-graders enacted the arrival of millions of people at Ellis Island during the late 1890s and early 1900s. Also, some of the students represented countries that had no U.S. immigration in that era.

“I needed a job and a lot of relatives needed my help, so I came to America,” said Janelle McGowan-Sylvan, 9, representing an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago. “Now, I took the hard citizenship test and all the (health) tests so I can become a citizen.”

Monday’s event was more than just a day to dress up and pretend, teachers said. It was part of a lesson on cultural diversity and U.S. history, teacher Becky D’Arrigo said.

The student immigrants walked into classrooms made up to resemble Ellis Island and were given fake medical examinations while Neil Diamond’s “Coming to America” blared in the background.

At least 10 countries were represented by the students, and different ethnic foods were served.

The day’s activities ended with a swearing in of the new citizens by the school’s principal, Georgia Menges, who dressed the part of a judge.

“I learned so much about being an immigrant and all the suffering my parents went through to become citizens and how it was a long time ago,” said Van Bui, 10, whose parents emigrated from Vietnam. “Dressing up and acting was better than reading it in a book.”