This week, we asked Pam Golden, our Lower and Upper Elementary art specialist, to share some  favorite stories that illustrate those moments of joyful discovery when an idea really clicks for a student and the “aha!” epiphany brings new life to learning.

Pam’s Clay Story

As a professional sculptor, Pam’s rich artistic life is full of discovery and expression and sometimes sounds like a perpetual aha moment. Here is how she describes her work: “My art tells stories. Many of the sculptures that I create are narrative images that reveal themselves to me as I work on them, as they live in my studio, as they recall myths and stories that have nurtured and inspired me over the years…Clay is an elemental material and how it transforms with water, air and fire to become something new is vital to my creative process.”

As an art teacher, Pam is delighted to witness the creative process as it unfolds in each of her students. Her two favorite aha moments this year came from two students in different Lower Elementary classes. Unsurprisingly, both involved clay. The first she witnessed from a child in the midst of a sculpture project who remarked, “When I am working with the clay my fingers seem to grow!” The second came at the end of a project, when a child explained her methodology: “I was just pounding and squishing the clay…and suddenly it looked like my cat!”

[This post originally appeared in Rhythm & News, the Inly School newsletter, on May 1, 2009.]

This week, we asked Colleen Quinn, our Lower and Upper Elementary movement instructor, to share a favorite story that illustrates that moment of joyful discovery when an idea really clicks for a student and the “aha!” epiphany brings new life to learning.

Colleen’s Virginia Reel Story

“Aha! Dancing CAN be fun!”

The Upper Elementary students come bounding into the barn for movement class. They are smiling, laughing, and full of energy. I say, “Today we are going to learn the ‘Virginia Reel.’ Their response is less than enthusiastic. Some are excited but many lose their smiles; they stop laughing, they are not jumping up to participate. Still, I persevere. We do-si-do, link elbows, cast off, reel the set. It is a surprisingly intricate dance, challenging for the mind and body.

After 45 minutes of full-out dancing the class is dismissed. One of the students who was most reluctant to participate comes to me, smiling, laughing, very excited and says, “I didn’t think I was going to like that, but actually it was a lot of fun!”

I always thought dancing was fun. I AM the dance teacher, after all. But it is endlessly satisfying when the students come to the realization that aha!—dancing can be fun!

[This post originally appeared in Rhythm & News, the Inly School newsletter, on May 1, 2009.]

The Inly Middle School students in the spring art elective class had the opportunity to create a sculpture for a specific destination—the Student Outdoor Sculpture show (through June 6, 2010) at the Art Complex Museum, in Duxbury, MA!

Above: A student-made video of installation day

Students worked together in small groups, and they were involved in all aspects of the artistic process. Collaborative art making can be challenging at times, and these students worked well figuring out what they really wanted to create, how to make that happen, and what materials would hold up for an outdoor installation.

At the art show opening on May 16, the students spoke about their work to viewers on a “Sculpture Walk-through.” Most of the sculptures are made by high school students, and the artwork created by our Middle School students is impressive! Congratulations!

The show is up through June 6, 2010 so please stop by ANYTIME, and take a look!

By Pam Golden, Inly Art Instructor

It is wonderful to have the opportunity to exhibit student work in an art gallery! Inly students recently participated in the Art Forum art opening, held on May 5, at the South Shore Art Center, in Cohasset. The artwork on display was created by sixth through eight grade students in area schools.

The Inly student work included some wonderful prints by all the sixth graders, hung together to make a kind of printmaking mural. In addition, there were identity themed assemblage sculptures created by Middle School students. Cast clay portrait masks, and freestanding clay figures sculptures by Middle School students, were also display in the show.

GREAT WORK, EVERYONE!

“It takes teamwork, teamwork, to win a baseball game.
It takes teamwork, teamwork, to make yourself a name. TEAMWORK!”
-From The Artful Dodgers,
Words and music by Mary Donnelly and George O. Strid

They sang, they danced, they delivered snarky and heartfelt lines with perfect timing. They are the students of Inly’s three Lower Elementary classrooms, and Thursday, May 20, they came together to deliver two performances of “The Artful Dodgers,” a show about teamwork and the power of a positive attitude.

Preparation for the show has been ongoing since after March break, with Lower Elementary students rehearsing the big group numbers during their scheduled music and movement blocks. Third graders carried the principal roles, which they practiced for during special Friday morning sessions.

In the weeks leading up to the show, there were four “immersion” mornings in which ALL the LE classes come together to rehearse on stage.

“This was an opportunity to manage traffic on and off the stage, choreography, placement on stage, and run-throughs of the show to get the feel for the story,” says Inly movement instructor Colleen Quinn, “and to practice waiting backstage and sitting quietly in the front.” Quinn adds that it is just as important to practice being silent backstage as it is to practice projecting your voice loudly on stage.

The Artful Dodgers story features themes of inclusion and kindness, of resisting bullies and working together. The process of putting the show together was itself a lesson in many of these concepts.

“The students gain self confidence by practicing something until they are accomplished at it and are able to perform it for others,” says Colleen. “They’re learning to follow direction, improving listening skills, respecting each others’ props and space, learning responsibility for their lines, cues, props and scene changes.” In addition, students are improving memorization skills mentally with lines and lyrics and physically with choreography and staging.

“They’re also gaining a sense of belonging to a group effort,” Colleen notes. “That everyone contributes to make the show great through lines, singing , dancing, scenery.”

The final product met with rave reviews.

“The kids were talking about it for weeks,” says Tracy Graves, mom to Jared (LE3) and Ben J. (LE2).  “So at long last to see The Artful Dodgers was fantastic!  They all did such a great job, and I loved every second of it!”

“I nearly fell out of my chair when I first saw Huck come out with the bowtie and top hat,” writes Kirsten Banks, mother of Huck S. (LE3).  “He was so proud to play the part of the mayor and it was a joy for me to see this other side of him I hadn’t seen before.”

The show closed with an all-cast rendition of “Sweet Caroline,” complete with choreography. It ended to thunderous applause and more than a few tears.

“I just love that song,” said Lisa Kamins, mom to Carolina J. (LE1) “And it’s just awesome to see all the kids sing it like that.”

Click here to view photos from show.

This week, we asked Meri-Lee Mafera, our Lower and Upper Elementary music specialist, to share some of her favorite stories that illustrate those moments of joyful discovery when an idea really clicks for a student and the “aha!” epiphany brings new life to learning.

Meri-Lee’s Cannon Story

It constantly amazes and delights me when I see the way music touches the hearts of the wonderful students here at Inly. This continues to be a source of daily “aha!” moments for me, and I am reminded how very blessed I am to be a part of a community where the arts are so much a part of each day.

In the past few weeks we have been learning national anthems from various countries around the world. During a recent UE music class, while learning “La Marseillaise,” the current national anthem of France, I noticed that one 4th grade boy had a puzzled look on his face. I made a choice not to interrupt the involved thought process that was obviously taking place and continued the class. We sang the anthem several times, chuckling at our attempts to pronounce the French lyrics. The class discussed the style of music, the English translation of the lyrics, and how it came to become the official national anthem.

As the lesson was drawing to a close I was about to share a fun fact with the class. All of a sudden, this young man’s face lit up, and he raised his hand as he began to wiggle all over. “Meri-Lee, Meri-Lee!” he exclaimed. “What?” I politely asked, knowing that this was his moment. “You know how you tell us to really LISTEN to the music?” More delight appeared on his face. “Well, I did, and I finally figured it out!”

He proceeded to share with the class the exact fact I had been about to teach. He told us about hearing part of the song “at the Fourth of July concert in Boston…when the cannons go off!” He had indeed recognized that Tchaikovsky used a piece of “La Marseillaise” in his 1812 Overture, and that yes, it is played every year on the Fourth of July by the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra when the cannons go off. AHA!

[This post originally appeared in Rhythm & News, the Inly School newsletter, on May 1, 2009.]

By Georgia Maheras, Inly Parent

This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of meeting the Inly School kindergarteners at the Museum of Fine Arts.  Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art and artifacts were just barely more exciting than lunch in the basement and the round trip bus ride!

We began the experience by dividing into three groups: A, B, and C (I was in group B with my daughter Kassiani).  Marcia was our tour guide through Greek and Roman art.  For most of the kids, this was their first time at the MFA.  For some of the adults, myself included, this was our first guided tour of a museum that we had visited many times.  For me, the guided tour was an amazing experience and looking at the museum through another set of eyes was really fun. I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on how well the children behaved—it is very hard to whisper for two hours in a new place that is very exciting!

Our first stop was the front foyer of the museum and the imposing stature of a sleeping Cerberus and Orpheus.  The kids then stood in awe as we stared up at the domed ceiling and its murals.  Marcia took us through the exhibit highlighting key pieces: a frieze here, an earring there, specific pieces of pottery.  The children knew much more about mythology and gods than Marcia expected—a heartening thing for the parents and teachers to witness!  It was also quite funny to see the kindergarteners pretend to lift a sipping cup and drink from it.  All of us were amazed by the section on athletics—the children compared modern day soccer and T-ball to the giant discus behind the glass.

A ship of treasures to get to the next world. By Johnny K.

We were wowed by the tomb stone monument: a snake for a tail, a dog’s body and bird wings makes for a good discussion.  Several children took the opportunity to sketch out this stone as they sat on the floor and listened to Marcia discuss why such a thing was needed in ancient Greece.  Our final stop on the tour was near the giant green shield and sword.  The shield was about as big as some of the children and they were happy to enact being warriors in ancient times.   Marcia was kind enough to share handouts with all of us so that the children could create their own shield- complete with items they thought would protect them.

After we finished the official tour, we wandered through the Egyptian mummies in the museum and then the special exhibit: Tomb 10A.  The kids had a great time drawing their favorite things in the Egyptian section and it was so interesting to see that they all liked different art and artifacts.   The tombs were not nearly as enticing as the stone and wooden figurines—Kassiani’s favorite were the blue ones.  And in case you didn’t know, there were princes and princesses in ancient Egypt, which was a delight to many of the Children’s House princes and princesses. I found this room especially enjoyable in part because we had it to ourselves. It was a fairly small room and we were able to sprawl all over and draw what inspired us.  Some of the children even tried to read the hieroglyphics on the artifacts.

Sphinx by Margo G.

Our final museum stop was Tomb 10A.  This was an exhibit that showed not only the contents of the tomb, but how the MFA found the tomb and explored Egypt in the 1800s.  The children were, naturally, drawn to the wall, which showed projections of the archeological dig- some shadow puppets may have appeared on the wall.  Here we rejoined Groups A and C to explore the miniature boats, statuary and mummies.  Our courage was tested with the dark room that contained the skull of the resident of Tomb 10A.  Some of the children even pretended to be mummies—lying still in a row on the floor of the exhibit.

After Tomb 10A, everyone headed downstairs for lunch.  I, unfortunately, had to head back to work, but very much appreciated the ‘art break’ in the middle of the day!

By Tom Baxter, Inly Parent

At the 2009 Inly Auction, I “won” the chance to be Moderator-for-the-Day in LE3. Last Thursday, I finally got the chance to fulfill my dream.

With Lower Elementary play rehearsal in full swing, Moderator duties were shifted to the afternoon, and my first official duty was to lead Pattyann and Caren’s class out to midday recess. Had I known I’d be conscripted by my sons to tend goal in their pick-up soccer game, I would have worn different shoes. And those puffy goalkeeper gloves with the padding in them.

Lesson #1: There is no passive participation at an Inly gathering.

Back inside, while the rest of the class was “settling in,” Jed, my son and mentor for the afternoon, handed me a clipboard and a pencil and we got to work. We had big responsibilities: there were calendars to update, attendance to take, problems to solve, songs to choose. It was only after Jed and I had ticked off a few items that I looked up and realized that for the the rest of the class, “settling in” didn’t mean rehashing recess stories or chatting about the weather. They had all pulled out their materials and…wait for it…started doing schoolwork! Independently! Without being told! Some while sitting on the floor! Others while sitting at desks the size of those miniature tables they put inside take-out pizza boxes to keep the cheese from sticking to the top of the box!

Lesson #2: Institute “settling in” time at the office from 9:00 to 9:30 every day.

Lesson #2a: Remove the conference tables and ergonomic adjustable chairs from all meeting rooms at the office. Replace with woven mats.

Next Jed took me around to check in with the teachers and the various committee members. In 15 minutes I engaged more with teachers and students in a classroom setting than I did in four years of college. Plus I fed mealworms to a reptile. (Note: I did have some experience with reptiles in college. And mealworms, too, for that matter. But those are stories for another time.)

We returned to the meeting area and not only updated the classroom calendar but completed a detailed analysis of the date and the number of school days completed. To my great relief, Jed helped me with the math.

Lesson #3: There are important learning opportunities even in routine everyday tasks.

Many thanks to Caren and Pattyann and all of LE3 for allowing me to cash in my prize and moderate for a couple hours. And special thanks to Jed for showing me the ropes!

This week, we asked Lynda Jackson, our Lower and Upper Elementary Spanish instructor to share some of her favorite stories that illustrate those moments of joyful discovery when an idea really clicks for a student and the “aha!” epiphany brings new life to learning.

Lynda’s “Me gusta la sandía” Story

In Lower Elementary Spanish, the children have spent time this year learning how to respond to basic greetings and commands in the language. I love it when I walk around the school and hear so many of these young students greet me in Spanish with the usual “Hola!” They seem to enjoy the opportunities they get to practice Spanish and show pride in their ability to communicate in a second language. One recent morning, one of my first-year students greeted me with confidence but went even further to say “Me gusta la sandía!” They have been learning about fruits and she wanted to let me know that she likes watermelon! How cool is that? This is one of the many aha moments I experience every week, and they make my day!

In Upper Elementary Spanish, the students have spent months creating funny stories with the vocabulary acquired thus far. We have spent time writing and acting out stories, but in order to assess their comprehension, I devote a substantial amount of class time to a series of questions about the stories. I always ask them to respond in full sentences so that they can practice the language even further.

When I think of an “aha moment” my mind focuses on a particular 5th grade student who at the beginning of the year seemed so anxious about Spanish and overwhelmed with the vocabulary. Back then, he would always ask “what does that mean?” or stare at me with a puzzled expression any time I asked him a question about a story. Over the past few months I have noticed a big difference. He is raising his hand more in class, wanting to participate, and is answering my questions in complete sentences. Now, if I ask him “¿Dónde vive el muchacho?” he will respond, “El muchacho vive en la casa.” I look at him now and can’t help but think, “Aha, Spanish is clicking for him.” He is so much more comfortable and relaxed, and I can see that he is gaining confidence in the language and comprehending the vocabulary. I am excited for him and for all of my students who, with perseverance and practice, are grasping the complexities of the language. It makes it all worthwhile!

[This post originally appeared in Rhythm & News, the Inly School newsletter, on May 1, 2009.]

Ricky Housley (Inly class of 2008) won first place in the Massachusetts State Science and Engineering Fair at MIT this year. The prize: a $60,000 scholarship to Northeastern ($12,000 per year for 5 years). Ricky’s project was EyeSpeak, a navigational device for the blind.

He is doing great at Boston University Academy, and is working for the Boston University Pliomax Lab in addition to his studies and extracurricular activities.