‘Circus’ Coming to Plymouth Meeting Friends

Step right up!

Well, it’s not quite P.T. Barnum, but Plymouth Meeting Friends School fourth graders will perform "Songs of the Spirit"—a collaborative circus the students helped create based on music and its power to inspire—for three shows in March.

The PMFS tradition started in 2003, when teacher Will Starr began writing a math book. Using circus arts as the central theme for the book, he and his students decided to put on their own performance. The habit stuck. Nine years later, the fourth grade circus is a beloved school tradition and rite of passage.

And this year, for the first time, Starr and fellow teacher Susan Holt have drawn from the students themselves in choosing their theme. The fourth graders created a performance that centered around music and how it collectively drives and inspires them to be their best.

During the circus, the students will show off a variety of skills, including unicycling, juggling, walking globes, and more.

Performances are scheduled for March 8 at 10 a.m. and March 9-10 at 7 p.m.