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FLOOD BROOK ARTS IN EDUCATION
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Mike Turk, Darcy Perry, Karen MacAllister, Casey Bailey, Nicole Pfister, Alison Stannard, and Brenda Sheere |
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What We Do! Staff Members on Flood Brook’s Arts in Education Committee work to bring professional artists into our school and arrange field trip opportunities to arts related events. Talented performing artists may share their expertise in dance, music, acting, poetry writing, sculpting, and more to give our students an array of memorable learning experiences. The committee researches various artists, explores curriculum connections, writes grants and arranges contracts and scheduling to facilitate these enriching opportunities for our students.
Who Helps Us? The committee works both independently and in conjunction with area sponsors and organizations that support the arts. Some examples of these collaborators are: The Flood Brook Student Activities Cooperative (FBSAC), the Windsor South West Supervisory Union (WSWSU), The Southern Vermont Arts Center (SVAC), The Weston Playhouse and the Green Mountain Festival Series (GMFS). These partnerships enable our students to benefit from mini-grants, performances, and residencies that would otherwise be financially unattainable. The committee extends its thanks to these supportive community resources for helping us to bring high quality arts experiences to our students.
What’s Up for This Year? For the 2007-2008 school year, twelve Flood Brook teachers received funds from the Green Mountain Festival Series mini-grant program. This monetary support will bring a variety of artists into our classrooms. Papermaking, poetry writing, pottery and puppet making are some of the mini grants slated for this year.
A new residency with Vermont’s premier West African Dance and Drum ensemble, Jen Kulu, is slated for March 31 – April 4, 2008. An evening performance for the community will culminate this residency.
Local potter, Susan Leader, returned in January to share her expertise and expose every student to this hands-on art form. Each student had the opportunity to work on the potter’s wheel and hundreds of beautifully crafted pots were produced.
Two engaging performances are being brought to Flood Brook students this year thanks to the Green Mountain Festival Series Arts in Education Program. We will be treated to a whole-school performance of The Hobbit by the No Strings Marionette Company on March 25th, and The Vermont Symphony Orchestra will visit on March 27th with their Acapella group.
In April we will begin an exciting new collaboration with the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company. Our 4th grade students will be working with Director of Education and Outreach, Lauryn Axelrod. During the months of April and May they will be participating in the Early Stages Program which uses high quality children’s literature as a basis for developing a script and matinee performance for the community at the Weston Playhouse. The students will be actively involved in all aspects of performing from scripts, props and costumes to acting. During this experience, they will be working with The Click, Clack Moo books written by Doreen Cronin and illustrated by Betsy Lewin. Stay tuned for details on this special show!
Respectfully submitted,
The Flood Brook Arts in Education Committee
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