Crestone Charter School Times by Members of the Staff
The Crestone Charter School Winter Show
and Tell was a great success. The Winter Show and Tell was a
great opportunity for the K-3 class to display their work, as
well as their performing skills. The class work display included
each student's portfolio, as well as art work, and a lovely little
collection of gingerbread houses. The performance began with
the "Solstice Song" sung by K-3 accompanied by recorders
by the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Then the K-3 class performed
a play called "The Virtues" in which each student played
a part personifying a particular virtue. This play taught the
children about the angelic qualities that they and everyone else
have. The play enchanted the audience with its delightful reminder
of the importance of remembering the least known virtue - gratitude.
After that, the same students showed their wonderful story of
a little boy's dream, "Where the Wild Things Are".
Their fabulous feathered masks were lovely to see, and the children
captivated the audience with their dance to primeval drum music.
K-3 students also displayed the ease with which they roll the
French language off their tongues by singing some songs in French
accompanied by some students of the 3 -5 class, and a couple of
middle school students who lent their vocal talent.
Currently the K-3 class is doing a poetry unit which includes
classic poems, modern children's poetry and poetry from the African
American experience. This unit will culminate in a poetry recital
next month on Friday, February 11 at 2:30 p.m. at the modular
building.
The 3-5 Class made two distinct
contributions to the Winter Show and Tell performances. The first
was musical. The students adapted a solstice song melody to recorder,
forming a back-up ensemble to the lower elementary's song and
movement presentation.
The second was theatrical. The students chose a favorite
story from those
that they had studied in Norse Mythology: Sif's Golden Hair.
Odin, Thor, and Bragi, the keeper of the magic mead, held court
and strove, with the aid of Iduna and Freya, goddesses of immortality
and beauty, to outwit the trickster, Loki. With the help of crafty
dwarves, and lots of magic, Sif's golden hair was restored- peace
was returned to Asgard, the realm of the gods.
Students chose their roles, as well as 'back-stage' responsibilities.
Each student designed their own costume, and decided which props
they would need.
The class worked together to develop, and make, simple sets.
Runes, emblazoned in gold, on large cloth banners, were used
to define different scenes and serve as reminders of this mythological
time.
The middle school production of "Froggy goes Courting"
brought great laughs and applause from the audience. Noah Brenner
played the ballad on his harp and sung the lines while his fellow
students mimed their parts. Gary Potter, as Froggy, proposed
to Lila Hemsell, Miss Mousy, but had to get the approval of Uncle
Rat, played by Jason Dean and Mother Froggy (Monica Paolucci).
The wedding audience included a bumblebee (Misti Baker), an old
tomcat (Chaz Cox), and a donkey with the front end played by Rashaun
Marstrand and the rear end supplied by Steven Beard. With backstage
help from the rest of the middle school class, the production
was a grand success.
In addition to displaying diverse art and academic projects at the Winter Show and Tell, the LINK students also presented some of their writing. In the first two examples printed below the students were shown a drawing of a woman, a dried rose and a vase and were asked to write a story using those items. In the third example students were given a list of words and terms that are unique to the 20th century; they had to incorporate at least ten of those in their pieces.
The man sketches a memory, a memory
of a woman who once broke his heart.
The man's hand moves slowly, then fast as he sketches and
creases the paper. His mind is going completely numb as his movements
turn fierce. His hand moves faster -- completely unaware of what
his heart broken mind is creating.
He continues like this for hours until he collapses with
exhaustion.
The next day the man looks at what he had created -- a picture
of a picture. A picture of a young woman, a withered rose and
a vase. "Why a vase?" he asks himself.
Daniel Hubbard
On other cultural fronts, in January
the LINK students attended a performance of "Phantom of the
Opera". They are now planning their own play -- a production
of "Alice in Wonderland" -- in collaboration with the
other CCS classes.
On March 1 the LINK students travel to Costa Rica where
they will participate in a number of environmental and cultural
projects over a two week period. In the latter part of February
we will host our final fund raising project: an auction and salon.
Please look for further details. Charter School Cookbooks are
still available from Crestone Charter School for $7.50. Proceeds
go toward the Costa Rica Spring Trip.
This web page created by CCS web masters Jesse Lowers Monica Paolucci, and Hunter Acker