Teaching never gets old for Angela Greene, a kindergarten teacher who has seen former students go on to college.

"I had so many teachers in my life who made a difference to me. I feel like I'm continuing on that path," said Greene of Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center. "I've been teaching for 13 years. My first class is in college now. It's wonderful to see the progression students make."

Greene is Lowcountry Child's first Featured Teacher. She was nominated by Tami Lawrence of Hilton Head Pediatric Therapy, whose son, Ian, is in Greene's kindergarten class.

"I am so impressed by how my son has responded to this new teacher," Lawrence said. "He's actually excited about learning whereas before he was becoming reticent."

Lawrence donated $50 for Greene to spend on her class, which was spent on Junkanoo costumes. Junkanoo is a parade that is celebrated a few times a year in the Caribbean. The tradition also was celebrated on the South Carolina coast in the 1700s.

"We began our 3rd quarter studying the islands of the Caribbean. We read books about the islands and did many different activities that related to what we had learned about these other cultures," said Greene.

At the beginning of the unit, the class learned about the characteristics that make an island a unique landform. Then, they began to research foods, the commerce and the culture of the Caribbean.

"The children had an opportunity to view some of the parades that are celebrated in the islands each year," Greene said. "After viewing various celebrations, our class decided to create our own version of a Junkanoo."

A Junkanoo has very elaborate costumes and the participants rush (parade) through the streets playing instruments and dancing.

"We rushed throughout the halls of Hilton Head Island Early Childhood Center and after the parade, we celebrated with a picnic of Caribbean fruits and Caribbean dancing!"

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