MICHIGAN CITY – Queen of All Saints Catholic School’s cafeteria was recently decorated with trees of various sizes, shapes, branch structures and colors. The collection of trees was the result of hours of research by students and their families.
QAS students and their families were challenged to research their family history and genealogy and then create a family tree.
“It was a good opportunity for family engagement. There are some really detailed trees,” said principal Kim Gondeck.
As families gather during the holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas, many students shared how they are thankful for their families, but sometimes can’t make the connection of their relationship to other members. Gondeck said family trees help students make that connection.
Gondeck said the cafeteria was chosen to display the family trees to give the sense of family as the students gather for their lunch, much like family meals. “Everyone was excited to show off their family tree and equally excited to see other trees, whether it was the pictures or the names,” said Gondeck.
The project saw a great deal of family involvement as seen in many of the detailed family tree displays. “It was a rewarding assignment, not only for students but also for parents and grandparents,” said Val Blumenfeld, grandmother of QAS third grader Ellianah Nabatanzi.
“It shows the beauty and uniqueness of families through a tree,” she added.
Blumenfeld described how their family tree demonstrates the distinctiveness of their family, as some of her grandchildren are from Uganda. She explained the lack of complete family records in Uganda made it difficult to get information for her daughter-in-law’s side. The family was able to trace back five generations on the Blumenfeld side.
“Helping with the project made me want to get a more complete picture of our families. It’s something we need to work on,” said Blumenfeld.
She noted that she reached out to Pat Harris, Michigan City historian and genealogy specialist, to help with the research.
While many students found out about ancestors who came to this country years ago, Blumenfeld’s granddaughter, Nabatanzi, came from Uganda to the United States four years ago.
Nabatanzi said working on her family tree made her more thankful for the family members she has. “It was fun doing this as a family because I got to see all my great-great-great-great grandparents. I didn’t know I had that many grandparents. I thought I only had three.”
Not all trees look alike or are evenly balanced. Nabatanzi’s family tree looks a little different than most as her dad, Lucas, is from the United States and her mom, Justine, is from Uganda. Lack of complete records in Uganda made it difficult to get information on her mom’s side. She made up for it on her dad’s side, going back five generations.
Nabatanzi did share that even though her mom’s side of the tree may be short on paper, she spoke of the closeness of the family. “In Uganda, we really didn’t have aunts and uncles and cousins, they’re more like siblings. We are really, really close.”
She has now developed a closeness to her QAS family, Nabatanzi can relate to her dad’s family who first came to America. “I was scared and nervous because I didn’t know anyone. They probably felt the same.”
Amelia Arnold admitted how working on her family tree was a little difficult, partially due to the fact that her mom has several brothers and sisters, who, in turn, have several kids.
“It was a little complicated to make because we have so many cousins. There are so many mini branches, it was a challenge to make. Our family seems bigger than originally thought. It shows how our family is intermingled and connected,” confessed Arnold.
Amelia’s brother was quick to share the family's link to Irish royalty. “Our grandma said our ancestors were three kings in Scotland,” said Christian Arnold.
Amelia replied, “I’m a little skeptical because they’re way far back.”
Christian quickly responded, “But it’s possible.”
As siblings Gregory and Eleanor Hopper worked on their family tree, they got to know family members a little better, especially the ones they don’t see that often. “There’s family members we didn’t know existed, mostly on my mom’s side of the family,” said Eleanor.
She added how her dad’s side came from Poland, something she was unaware of before the project.
Gregory, an eighth grader, explained the importance of knowing their family members and their ancestors. “It’s important because you get a sense of where your family came from, the different cultures, and how they melt together to create your family.”
Second grader Maelie Bowling was one of few words who let her family tree speak with several photos of several family members. When she was asked who the people are pictured on her family tree poster, a beaming smile immediately appeared on her face as she replied, “My family.”
Her poster showed the diversity of many families as she had several flags representing the countries her ancestors came from, including Puerto Rico, Italy, Ireland and Mexico.
As students worked on their family trees, many got to know family members they have never met or don’t often visit. Jonathan Galingo said, “I enjoyed the opportunity to see pictures of my great-grandparents from dad’s side of the family who I’ve rarely seen. I was very young, so I don’t remember a lot about them.”
Galingo said his grandmother shared many stories about the family, including how his great-grandfather fought in the Korean War at a young age.
“I’m very thankful for my family and I’m very interested in learning more about my family after doing this project,” he said.
Caption: Queen of All Saints Catholic School students show off their family trees that were on display in the school’s cafeteria. Student pictured kneeling in the front row are Natalia Serrano, Matias Pacheco, Simon Arnold, Aaron Arnold, Adelaide Arnold, Christian Arnold, Ellianah Nabatanzi, and Prim Namakula. Back row includes Daniel Serrano, Jared Serrano, Eleanor Hopper, Gregory Hopper, Amelia Arnold, Dylan Nelson, Anna Nelson, Audrey Nelson, Jonathan Galindo, and Maelie Bowling. (Deacon Bob Wellinski photo)