Schools
A District-Wide Art Party Makes History Come Alive this Wednesday
At National Arts in the Schools Day, kids will learn a little something they may not have in their social studies class.
Sway like an Indonesian dancer? Check. Craft a bowl out of clay from scratch? Check. Learned something you didn’t before? Check.
Students of the Port Chester School District will trade their daily lectures for a festival of performing and visual arts this Wednesday in honor of National Arts in the Schools Day. The event is sponsored by the Port Chester Council for the Arts to encourage artistic expression in grades K-12.
And instead of filling in bubbles on a Scantron sheet or studying facts from a textbook, kids can be a part of the learning process.
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Using storytelling "makes it more exciting for children because we’re bringing something from American history to life using theater,” said guest presenter Lou DelBianco.
During his program "In the Shadow of the Mountain," the Port Chester native and Parents Choice-renowned storyteller will tell the kids of Park Avenue School the tale of his grandfather’s stint as chief carver for Mt. Rushmore.
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He'll later emulate the persona of his Italian grandfather as he invites kids to come onstage with him to join in the story.
What the little ones won’t know: they may even get an extra question right on their next exams because of it.
“The arts are pretty much the only way a child or adult can start to develop a language to express themselves,” said presenter Camille Linen.
Her production, Flashbacks, will explore a history lesson a bit closer to home.
With musical role-playing, Linen and her sister Donna Cribari will show what it would have been like to have a conversation with women’s rights activist Anne Hutchinson.
Before long, little ones will be swapping trivia questions later on the school bus: “Did you know William Ward was the guy who built Ward’s Castle in Rye Brook?”
The organization will also be presenting an Arts Advocate award to the principal of Thomas A. Edison School, Dr. Eileen Santiago, for her commitment to arts-in-education to the students during her 15-year tenure. Purchase College will also be honored for providing affordable access to the arts for Port Chester students.
The ceremony will begin at Rye Brook's Crawford Park Mansion this Wednesday, April 13 at 4:30 p.m.
