Tuesday, April 12, 2011 
NORTHAMPTON — The half dozen students gathered in a classroom last week at R.K. Finn Ryan Road School formed a circle and began to walk slowly in time to the Cambodian music playing on a nearby boom box. Their hands formed the delicate shapes of leaves, buds, flowers and fruit.
"Not too big a circle," warned Sophal Ding, their volunteer dance teacher. "You'll run over the backpacks."
In the hallway outside, a larger group was rehearsing a different dance number, balancing coconut halves in their hands as they twirled and swayed.
"I've been doing this for three years," said fourth-grader Andrew Tan. "I learned a little bit of the dancing from my family but mostly from Sophal."
On Wednesday, the school will host its fourth annual Cambodian New Year celebration, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The event, which marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit, begins with a dance performance in the gym, followed by a potluck supper in the cafeteria showcasing traditional Cambodian food and games.
School Principal Margaret Riddle said the event grew out of a realization that several families with children attending the Ryan Road school are Cambodian. "Since we've been doing the celebration, other families from the Cambodian community have been coming too," she said. "It's nice for people to know about it. We try to make sure our school is welcoming of all cultures." Last year, more than 160 students, staff and community members participated.
Ding, whose son and daughter both attended the school, said she invites friends from other towns to take part in the festivities. "The families come to watch and the parents of Ryan Road support us," she said. "I make food and the kids get all dressed up. It shows them a lot about the culture."
The New Year holiday, called Chaul Chnam, is a Buddhist festival honoring the end of the harvest, said Roeun Chea, a parent who works with students in preparation for the celebration. "It's a way to appreciate all the hard work that the farmers have done."
In addition to talking about the holiday, Chea - whose daughter, Jasmine, is a fourth-grader at the school - tells students about his own experiences growing up in Cambodia in the 1970s under the Khmer Rouge regime.
When he was 8 or 9, Chea was separated from his family and sent to a children's work camp, where he was forced to labor long hours and given scant food. He escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand and eventually came to live in the U.S. with a foster family in Amherst. In the early 1980s, he was able to reconnect with his mother and in 2003, spent two years in Cambodia, helping her recover from an illness.
Chea, who now lives in Florence and teaches in the Springfield public schools, shapes his classroom talks to the students' interests. "The older ones want to know about my childhood experiences in the camp," he said. "With the younger kids, they are most interested in what the schools are like in Cambodia, what the food is like."
For this year's festival, Chea's wife, Sovannary, taught students and teachers how to make spring rolls for the potluck.
Cherilyn Strader, a fourth-grader, said she has enjoyed learning more about Cambodia each year. "I think this is really nice for all the students who want to know a different culture."
As for learning the traditional dances, "some people get nervous but once you've been in it for a year, you remember it," she said. "I've been doing this every year and I know almost all the steps."
Emily Masamitsu, a third-grader, agreed that the dancing gets easier over time. "Cambodian dances are hard - a lot of things are happening," she said. "I'm glad I did this before in second grade. We have so much joy and so much fun."
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KEVIN GUTTING
R.K. Finn Ryan Road fourth-grader Jasmine Chea, 10, rehearses a dance for the Cambodian New Year’s celebration set for Wednesday.
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KEVIN GUTTING
Sophal Ding, second from right, leads a rehearsal at R.K. Finn Ryan Road School on Thursday for the Cambodian New Years celebration to be held Wednesday, April 13. In front row are Sydney Lippiello, left, 11, fifth grade and Madison Ferron, 9, fourth grade. In back row are fourth-graders Carolyn Jordan, left, 9, and Shiane Diaz, right, 9, and Ding’s daughter, fifth-grader Natasha Ding, center, 10.
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KEVIN GUTTING
"Not too big a circle," warned Sophal Ding, their volunteer dance teacher. "You'll run over the backpacks."
In the hallway outside, a larger group was rehearsing a different dance number, balancing coconut halves in their hands as they twirled and swayed.
"I've been doing this for three years," said fourth-grader Andrew Tan. "I learned a little bit of the dancing from my family but mostly from Sophal."
On Wednesday, the school will host its fourth annual Cambodian New Year celebration, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The event, which marks the start of the Year of the Rabbit, begins with a dance performance in the gym, followed by a potluck supper in the cafeteria showcasing traditional Cambodian food and games.
School Principal Margaret Riddle said the event grew out of a realization that several families with children attending the Ryan Road school are Cambodian. "Since we've been doing the celebration, other families from the Cambodian community have been coming too," she said. "It's nice for people to know about it. We try to make sure our school is welcoming of all cultures." Last year, more than 160 students, staff and community members participated.
Ding, whose son and daughter both attended the school, said she invites friends from other towns to take part in the festivities. "The families come to watch and the parents of Ryan Road support us," she said. "I make food and the kids get all dressed up. It shows them a lot about the culture."
The New Year holiday, called Chaul Chnam, is a Buddhist festival honoring the end of the harvest, said Roeun Chea, a parent who works with students in preparation for the celebration. "It's a way to appreciate all the hard work that the farmers have done."
In addition to talking about the holiday, Chea - whose daughter, Jasmine, is a fourth-grader at the school - tells students about his own experiences growing up in Cambodia in the 1970s under the Khmer Rouge regime.
When he was 8 or 9, Chea was separated from his family and sent to a children's work camp, where he was forced to labor long hours and given scant food. He escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand and eventually came to live in the U.S. with a foster family in Amherst. In the early 1980s, he was able to reconnect with his mother and in 2003, spent two years in Cambodia, helping her recover from an illness.
Chea, who now lives in Florence and teaches in the Springfield public schools, shapes his classroom talks to the students' interests. "The older ones want to know about my childhood experiences in the camp," he said. "With the younger kids, they are most interested in what the schools are like in Cambodia, what the food is like."
For this year's festival, Chea's wife, Sovannary, taught students and teachers how to make spring rolls for the potluck.
Cherilyn Strader, a fourth-grader, said she has enjoyed learning more about Cambodia each year. "I think this is really nice for all the students who want to know a different culture."
As for learning the traditional dances, "some people get nervous but once you've been in it for a year, you remember it," she said. "I've been doing this every year and I know almost all the steps."
Emily Masamitsu, a third-grader, agreed that the dancing gets easier over time. "Cambodian dances are hard - a lot of things are happening," she said. "I'm glad I did this before in second grade. We have so much joy and so much fun."
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