2016-2017 School Theme.
Iskwelahang Pilipino’s school year curriculum for 2016-17 started with a theme called WOW MINDANAO! The school concentrated on the Pilipino culture from the people in Mindanao. At the annual NEFFA (New England Folk Festival) festival in April 2017, each class group will perform a dance from different regions down south. The Ilang-Ilang class will perform a dance about Pomelos called, SUA-KU-SUA, from Jolo; the Sampaguita class will perform the KAPA-MALONG-MALONG , a traditional Maranao dance; the Bonificio group will dance PANGALAY, a Tausug dance from the Sulu Archipelago, and the Rizal group will dance the KATSUDORATAN, the royal manner of walking from Lake Lanao.
The children were also taught how to play instruments from the south: the kulintang (set of gongs), the gabbang (wooden xylophone), the agung (gong) and dabakan (drum) by Christi-Anne Castro, (IP Alum and Music Director of the IP Rondalla Ensemble) who visited and taught for a day. Christi-Anne flew in from Michigan where she is a faculty member (Associate Professor, Ethnomusicology) at the University of Michigan’s School of Music.