Emily Serafa Manschot's Page

I have a suggestion for you next time you are out finishing your holiday shopping. There is a beautiful new art gallery at the 12 Oaks Mall called the State of Mind Gallery. It's located on the second floor near Macy's. Forty-five Michigan artists have rented this large space and are working there, so the people you meet on the floor are the artists themselves. You will find all types of art media there, from glass to paintings, ceramics, woodworking, jewelry, metal sculptures with and without g… Continue

Last Friday night I attended my 40th (gulp!) high school class reunion. The Livonia Bentley High School Class of 1969 held a combined reunion with the classes of 1968 and 1970 at the Radisson Hotel in Livonia. Over two hundred people attended, including spouses. There was a decent turnout, but I was hoping for more--there were about 150 classmates, and Bentley was a big high school--it held over 2500 people.

It was a pleasure being on the reunion committee, even though at times I had to drag my… Continue

Some people know that I am half Italian. I speak the language a bit, have been to Italy several times and had a big fat Italian wedding. That's on my mom's side of the family, which is the culture we celebrated since my paternal grandparents died when I was very young.

My father, Charles Serafa, was born in Malta. If you don't know where Malta is, the toe of Italy kicks Sicily. Malta is just south of Sicily. It's a small island surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea. I do not speak Maltese, but I… Continue

This morning, MIWLA President Margaret Cottrill and I attended the CLAM Conference at Wayne State University. We were invited session presenters. Our topic was "Practically Speaking", which also is the theme of the MIWLA Conference for October, 2010.

Immediately after we had parked the car and left the parking structure, we found little signs with the CLAM logo showing us the way to the conference center. Margaret and I were excited. Looking for the next sign was like a little treasure hunt on… Continue

My students participated in a mini field trip today, courtesy of my friend Pam Kaatz. Pam is a retired Spanish teacher from Texas, who owns a company called "The Color Connection." This website, www.colorconnection.com, is a must visit for any Spanish teacher. Pam is the creator of the famous Spanish Verb Wall, (www.verbwall.com) which I have premanently affixed to the wall in my classroom. She is also responsible… Continue