Seventh Graders Reenact Ellis Island Immigration Process

During the annual Ellis Island Reenactment Day, students dressed and acted the part of immigrants traveling to a new country in the early 20th century. Middle school teachers played the roles of stern immigration officials and checkpoint inspectors.

 

“The main goal of the reenactment is to have the students have an emotional and physical connection to the experience of immigrants coming to the United States in the early 20th century,” middle school humanities teacher Paul Friedman explained. The students were assigned to small groups of “families” arriving in the United States from Spain, Ireland, Russia, Poland and a number of other countries. The families were led through four stations — baggage, medical, interview and information — before a final hearing with the inspector general. At each station, the immigration officials and inspectors questioned the students about everything from the contents of their luggage to their health and plans for work in the United States.

Immanuelle Kennerly ’25, who was playing the role of an Irish immigrant, said that the experience helped her better understand what she had learned in class about the immigrant experience. She said that when reading about someone else’s experience, “Sometimes you can visualize it, sometimes you can’t. Being there helped me figure out what they actually had to go through.”

 

To prepare for the day, students explored the root causes of why immigrants at the time traveled to the United States. They also researched the countries of origin that they were assigned to so as to be prepared to answer checkpoint questions accurately and thoroughly. Next week, the students will visit Ellis Island.