On Saturday, February 25th, children and parents of the Washington Estonian School gathered at the Latvian Church in Rockville to start their school day together. However, this particular school day was much more festive, as the previous day had been the birthday of the Republic of Estonia.
As is customary on every school day, the students and parents sang the Estonian national anthem together. The oldest class girls, Katelyn Fullerton and Liisi Ladon, were dressed in traditional Estonian attire and held the flag. After the anthem, they asked the younger students questions about Estonia. For example, they asked what the capital of Estonia is, which everyone knew, but the summer and winter capitals were more difficult to guess. They also knew the colors of the flag and their meaning. The national flower and bird were well-known, too. It was interesting to learn that Estonia has over 1,500 islands and everyone was asked to name the three largest ones.
Afterwards, the younger children, with the help of their parents, sang “Today I Drew the Flag” and “Estonia is My Homeland,” while the older students sang “Estonia, My Beloved Birthplace,” “Spring Celebration,” and “On the Way to Tallinn.” The school’s music teacher, Peeter Saar, accompanied the children on the guitar.
The rest of the school morning proceeded as usual, with language classes, dancing, crafts, and singing. I would like to thank all the parents who contribute to the school’s activities and bring their children into the Estonian community. Long live Estonia!
Vilve Ladon
