Students at Walt Disney Magnet School Shine in Opening Ceremonies

The Walt Disney Magnet School celebrated Olympic Week today with two Opening Ceremonies: an initial, school-wide ceremony outdoors, followed by a smaller indoor ceremony staged by students in the gifted program. Both were elaborate affairs, featuring traditional dancing, a parade of nations, singing and sports demonstrations.

 "I'm very impressed with the show you have put on. It gives me goosebumps just watching because it reminds me of the Opening Ceremonies in Seoul," said Olympic racewalker Gary Morgan. At this, the students of Disney School erupted into cheers. Morgan's comments may have seemed incredulous were it not for the spectacle that surrounded him-1,600 children wearing colorful ethnic costumes, a plethora of waving flags, and even a burning torch, run in by one of the students.

 "When this opportunity came up I thought, we have to do it, and we have to do it right," said Principal Kathleen Hagstrom.  

As a Fine Arts Magnet School, Disney emphasizes arts and technology integrated instruction. Both were featured highly in the day's events. Hagstrom enlisted the Chicago Arts Partnerships in Education (CAPE) to choreograph the opening and closing dance performances, which featured hula hoops that doubled as Olympic Rings. Members of the gifted program also played instruments, created an animation video of the Chicago Star, displayed artwork, and sang songs in foreign languages.

"It's great for the kids," said Oksana Kulikova, whose daughter is a member of the gifted program. "The Olympics is good for kids because it makes them international. It makes them love everyone on the planet."

The students themselves echoed these sentiments. "Even though people have differences, the Olympics brings them together for the glory of sport," said sixth grader Olivia Piazza. 

Classmate Michelle Henderson added that staging the Games would enable Chicagoans to expand their horizons. "It would be good for the city and the people who live here to learn about a lot of cultures," she said.

After the ceremonies concluded, a number of students gathered around Morgan, peppering him with questions about his experiences as an Olympian. In addition to competing in the racewalk in the 1998 Games, Morgan is the winner of 17 national championships and carried the torch in both 1996 and 2002. When asked what the highlight was, his answer came as a perfect complement to the day's events.

"There's nothing like the Opening Ceremonies. You get to meet everyone, and the camaraderie is at its highest because people haven't started to compete yet. The Olympics is not just about the competition. It's about the friendships, the cultural exchange, the music exchange . . . and you never forget walking into a stadium with 80 thousand people cheering."

Tags: Chicago 2016, Olympic Week