Orchard School Brings London Olympics To Yonkers

YONKERS, N.Y. – A group of school children are bringing London’s Olympic ceremonies to Yonkers.

Students at the Orchard School, on the North Broadway campus of Andrus, celebrated the summer games Tuesday with their own Olympic Opening Ceremony and Parade of Nations.

More than 150 special education students, from Long Island, New York City and the Hudson Valley, marched in the parade through the Andrus campus. The afternoon event was part of the school’s Olympic-themed summer program, aimed at educating the children about other parts of the world in a fun and interesting way, administrators said.

“We want to encourage children to watch the Olympics and support their country but it’s also about teaching them to be patriotic and good citizens,” Assistant Principal Alexandria Connally said.

Representing a host of countries, from Japan to Australia to Brazil and the United States, students and staff adorned their nation’s colors and waved the flags. Many students dressed the part too, with one sporting a sumo wrestler costume and another with a Captain America outfit. 

The American group marched along to a boom box blasting Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA.” 

After the parade, students presented their classmates with information they had learned the past few weeks. Together they rattled off facts about each country's population numbers, national past-times and cuisine. 

A boy in a sombrero said he studied Mexico and learned the role bull fighting has played throughout the country’s history.

Connally said fun learning was the key phrase.

“We focus on being positive and making learning fun,” she said. “We want to show the children they have an amazing future.”

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