Arts
Quite a Week…
We have just come to the end of a stimulating week for both students and staff. The week began with a compelling tribute in our weekly assembly to the victims of the Montreal Massacre, which I wrote about in an earlier blog entry.
On Tuesday evening, the students who went to Kenya in the summer (twenty-five in all) shared their experience with invited guests (mostly parents and siblings). Each student read an entry from his or her journal which when put together provided a chronicle of the 25-day trip. They also shared some stunning visual images. One of our Grade 12 students is in the process of creating a documentary about the trip, which she hopes to enter in a documentary film festival later this year. Celine provided us with an excerpt of this documentary–it promises to be an exceptional piece of work.
On Wednesday morning, George Brady came to Greenwood to speak to students in Grades 8 and 10. George is a Holocaust survivor and the brother of Hana Brady, whose story has been immortalized in the narrative “Hana’s Suitcase.” George’s grandchildren attend our school. Through the use of plain language and visual images, George recounted for the students the devastating impact the Nazi occupation of Europe had on his family and friends. George’s visit provided students in these grades who have been learning how to conduct historical inquiry the valuable opportunity to understand history using primary sources. More importantly, they heard a moving account about the ravages of racism and intolerance.
Thursday evening was the first of our three Arts Showcase events. Students in our music and drama classes staged a show for parents and friends. Art work and fashion displays were located throughout the hallways on the second and third floors of the building. All in all, it was a terrific display of creativity and original thinking.
It seemed appropriate on Friday to start the day with that old M.C. Hammer classic “U Can’t Touch This.”
The Importance of Teamwork
This past weekend emphasized how important teamwork is here at Greenwood. On Friday evening I attended our Junior play, which was a wonderful adaptation of Peter Pan. Over fifty students and teachers were involved in the production. The students who trod the boards were fantastic. The acting and singing were superb, and more importantly they were fully engaged in putting forth the best show possible (which they did!) Behind the scenes, we had students coordinating backstage mechanics, providing sound, painting scenery and designing costumes. Through it all they received enthusiastic support from several teachers. Not surprisingly, they produced one of the most memorable events in Greenwood’s short history.
We also had two teams competing in the CIS finals. The U-16 Girls’ basketball team won the championship, which marked the second year in a row that we have won at this particular level. I was really impressed with how well the girls moved the ball on the court. Time after time, the girls opted not to take the low percentage long-shot and instead passed the ball in order to take advantage of a shot that was closer to the hoop. Though our U-20 boys’ volleyball team lost to UCC, they played hard throughout the three-game set. Certainly, the final game could have gone either way. I was really pleased with the way the boys supported one another and refused to cede victory to the much larger school. Both teams exhibited the kind of character we believe is important here at Greenwood.
Rally Days
At various points throughout a school year, staff and students need what some experts refer to as ‘rally days.’ Such days are referred to in this way as they enable members of the school community an opportunity to step away from the day-to-day routine and join together to have some fun and build school spirit. Like any effective rally, the hope is that these large-scale events will generate energy and enthusiasm. With the onset of shorter days and November looming, spirits sometimes need lifting. People who study these types of things suggest schools should hold a rally day about every six weeks.
Yesterday was a rally day here at Greenwood. Students in Grades 7 to 10 and their teachers took part in Arts Day, while our senior students spent the day visiting one of several universities and colleges. Students participated in several arts-related workshops which were led by guest instructors, with one exception. Two of our student Arts Leaders had to jump in at the last minute and lead a cartooning workshop. From what I saw, they did a great job. The day ended with a concert by a highly skilled and very engaging musical combo who played songs ranging from The Lion King to Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music.” Lots of audience participation on the latter number!
Even though six weeks won’t have elapsed, we will have a partial rally day again next Friday. It’s Halloween–always a big deal around these parts. Time to start planning my costume!
Celebrating the Arts
We just wrapped up our inaugural Arts Dinner tonight, which was a great success. Students who had participated in any of this year’s arts events and the teachers who coordinated the various events shared a terrific pasta dinner. The dinner was organized by our Tourism class–they had a great chance to engage in some real event planning!
This dinner was a great way to celebrate what has been an incredible seven days for our Arts program. A week ago, our senior music class entertained students and parents at the Palmerston Library Theatre with a selection of pop tunes. On the following evening, our drama classes presented two short plays and an original one-act drama. This one-act play received rave reviews from the adjudicators when it was performed at the CIS Drama Festival on Thursday. The week concluded with a celebration of art, both visual and digital, and fashion design. The senior art students displayed their portfolios throughout the school and several students shared their digital media films with us. Students in Grade 11 sold original prints as part of an Arts for Aids fundraiser. The evening was topped off by a runway fashion show, which featured original works created and modelled by our Grade 11 Fashion class.
Being a spectator at these events reminded me of the important relationship between the artist and the audience. This is especially true at the student level. Students develop a great deal of insight and confidence when they receive informed feedback. For students in the arts, gallery displays and performances provide them with immediate feedback. Certainly, many of students will always remember the generous applause and praise they received over the past week. It was especially gratifying for the teachers who have worked so hard to nurture each student’s artistic potential.
Our First Music Festival
I spent part of yesterday at Roy Thomson Hall witnessing the 25th Annual CIS Music Festival. As a first-time audience member of this musical celebration, I was overwhelmed by the breadth of musical ability on display. I now realize that the old joke about how do you get to Carnegie Hall (practice! practice! practice!) is pretty close to the truth. Clearly, a great deal of individual and group practice went into preparing for this show. Kudos to the dedicated teachers and guest instructors who helped students prepare for the show!
Seeing as this is Greenwood’s second year as a member of CIS, it was our first opportunity to have students participate. Three of our students–Jessica, Mason and Anne–sang in the Intermediate choir. No doubt the opportunity to be part of this musical celebration will inspire them to greater heights in their future musical endeavours. Hopefully, we will have some students participate in the musical ensembles in next year’s festival.
We often challenge our students to be at their best when their best is needed, regardless of the task or activity. Watching the performers yesterday, it was clear that many, many CIS schools have outstanding music programmes, which is a credit to the fine teaching that goes on in music classrooms throughout CIS schools.
The Importance of the Arts
The last few weeks here at Greenwood have provided a tremendous showcase for our arts program. I left yesterday’s assembly jazzed (pun intended!) about the quality of the student performances. Our senior music class, five guitars strong, dusted off an old ZZ Top classic and thrilled the audience with their rendition of it. Later, Nick Toyne and Raleigh Seldon delighted us with a moving performance of the duet from the film “Once.” This performance served as a prelude to the upcoming student coffee house.
Our drama group has also been busy. Last week, they entertained us with their presentation of the Roald Dahl story, “James and the Giant Peach.” The play featured great teamwork by students in Grades 7, 8 and 9, and several of our teachers, who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to make the production possible. The staging of the play was also a step forward, as this was our first use of multimedia. Rather than use conventional 3-D props, our media arts team deployed rear-projected, animated images as the scenery for the play.
Prior to the play, the school also hosted its annual Arts Day. This day is a great opportunity for students to participate in workshops hosted by professional artists (including members of our parent community!) Each student participated in four different workshops, and the day concluded with a musical performance by our private music lesson teachers. This day is a terrific way for students to experience the breadth of opportunities available in the arts.
As I have told the students in assembly, the arts inspire the imagination. Certainly, this has been the case over the last few weeks here at Greenwood.