Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
The Italian students at Ridgewood High School in Norridge were proud to play host to a delegation from Italy on May 23.
Among the honored guests were Attilio Fontana, president of the region of Lombardy; Raffaele Cattaneo, the region’s undersecretary for European and International Public Relations; Paolo Aliprandi, a member of Cattaneo’s staff; Maria Luisa Scalise, the region’s director of International Relations; and Paola Murgia, a member of Scalise’s staff.
Italian Consul General Thomas Botzios arranged the visit with the help of Dr. Marina Lenza, director of education for the consulate. Fontana requested the opportunity to meet with Ridgewood’s Italian students during his visit to the Chicago area because of their collaborative work with students at the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua in Legnano, Lombardy.
The Ridgewood Band, under the direction of Music Director Bernie Moore, welcomed the delegation, who proceeded to the school’s Collaboration Center for a celebration. The room featured a presentation about Ridgewood’s Italian program, a display spotlighting the collaboration between Ridgewood and the Istituto Superiore Carlo Dell’Acqua, and a Zoom session with students from the Lombardian school.
During the visit, administrators at Union Ridge middle school announced plans to establish a similar collaboration with the Istituto Comprensivo Alessandro Manzoni in Legnano.
At the invitation of Consul General Botzios, Ridgewood and Union Ridge administrators and Italian teachers took part in a welcoming event for the delegation at the Women’s Athletic Club in Chicago on May 22.
