Welcome back to the Hilltop, where the sun is out and the snow is melting – just not as quickly as we would like! One of the strange twists of fate this year was that winter weather ended up pushing the Lower School production back to this week. During my 11 years here, the LS production has been one of the more special yet challenging moments of the academic year. Most things that are worthwhile are complex, and this event is no exception. As always, I was amazed to see the amount of effort and collaboration needed to pull off this milestone. Beyond any music, acting, and dancing – there is also artwork, costumes, and a substantial amount of evident academic learning as well. Perhaps what struck me this year was the ways in which our students helped create everything – including the show itself.
There have been times in the past decade when the LS production has elicited questions like – how big is big enough? How much pull-out time from Math and Literacy does it require? Who is in charge of what parts of the production – and who gets to decide what the show will be? Homegrown show or purchased and produced show? Can we keep our youngest kids safe on the big stage? Why does the show seem smaller than it used to be – don’t you remember Revels? Or the Westward expansion year?
I have navigated that range of questions for a long period of time now, and I think we have done some intentional work around clarifying leadership, scope, and purpose of the event. I just want to say, in my final year, that I have always believed LS production to be a signature event of Berwick’s Lower School. First, it creates a massive opportunity for collaboration and interdisciplinary learning. It is a catalyst that forces all of our teachers and students to work together in a new way. The learning can be powerful; certainly my girls have a deeper and better appreciation for the culture of India based on their experience this year. But as Joel Hawes has always said, and I tend to agree, that there is a fundamental value in a performance-based Lower School arts program. Beyond simply learning how to sing, play a recorder, or paint a mural, we expose our youngest students to the experience of being part of a big team. They have to meet a deadline, and they need to publicly display what they have learned. The public nature of this is hard to truly replicate in other forums. My hope is that a number of our students experience the thrill of being on stage and crave more in the future. The LS production, along with many other programs, is one of the reasons I think our students become so comfortable on stage at US assembly four days a week. It sets the foundation for our Middle and Upper School productions as well.
I actually believe our athletic programs share the power of performance with these productions, as students are forced to demonstrate what they have learned in a very public forum. There is nowhere for them, or their coaches, to hide. While that can be challenging at times, I think these are key experiences for healthy development in school and in life. I have now had the pleasure of riding the roller coaster of 11 Lower School productions and can declare one thing with absolute confidence: it is certainly one of the things I will miss next year.
There have been times in the past decade when the LS production has elicited questions like – how big is big enough? How much pull-out time from Math and Literacy does it require? Who is in charge of what parts of the production – and who gets to decide what the show will be? Homegrown show or purchased and produced show? Can we keep our youngest kids safe on the big stage? Why does the show seem smaller than it used to be – don’t you remember Revels? Or the Westward expansion year?
I have navigated that range of questions for a long period of time now, and I think we have done some intentional work around clarifying leadership, scope, and purpose of the event. I just want to say, in my final year, that I have always believed LS production to be a signature event of Berwick’s Lower School. First, it creates a massive opportunity for collaboration and interdisciplinary learning. It is a catalyst that forces all of our teachers and students to work together in a new way. The learning can be powerful; certainly my girls have a deeper and better appreciation for the culture of India based on their experience this year. But as Joel Hawes has always said, and I tend to agree, that there is a fundamental value in a performance-based Lower School arts program. Beyond simply learning how to sing, play a recorder, or paint a mural, we expose our youngest students to the experience of being part of a big team. They have to meet a deadline, and they need to publicly display what they have learned. The public nature of this is hard to truly replicate in other forums. My hope is that a number of our students experience the thrill of being on stage and crave more in the future. The LS production, along with many other programs, is one of the reasons I think our students become so comfortable on stage at US assembly four days a week. It sets the foundation for our Middle and Upper School productions as well.
I actually believe our athletic programs share the power of performance with these productions, as students are forced to demonstrate what they have learned in a very public forum. There is nowhere for them, or their coaches, to hide. While that can be challenging at times, I think these are key experiences for healthy development in school and in life. I have now had the pleasure of riding the roller coaster of 11 Lower School productions and can declare one thing with absolute confidence: it is certainly one of the things I will miss next year.
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