District awarded $10,000 Arts-in-Education grant

Students to take advantage of programming at Proctor's Theatre

August 17, 2009—Thanks to a $10,000 Arts-in-Education grant, Duanesburg students will have an opportunity to attend live performances, educational programs, films and an in-depth residency program at Proctor’s Theatre in Schenectady this year.

“We are thrilled to announce this innovative partnership in which students will be able to visit an amazing cultural center, practically in our backyard, at no cost to them,” said Duanesburg Central School District Superintendent Christine Crowely.

The theater’s director of education pursued and secured funding opportunities on behalf of the district after a team of teachers and administrators visited the facility in July.

After a tour of the site and review of program offerings, the group agreed this was an opportunity that could not be missed.

“It provides us with a new means of exposing our students to theater and music that we otherwise could not provide them with,” said Middle School Principal Peter Reyes.

Approximately $3,500 of the funding will go towards the “Stories That Dance” residency, while the remaining balance will go towards tickets for shows.

Programs offer learning opportunities for all
The dynamic educational programs offer opportunities for students to learn in all grade levels and across disciplines from English language arts to science and social studies.

Each of the educational programs offers lesson plans linking to classroom curriculum.

For example, a fun and interactive presentation by the Mad Science Group will help third- through seventh-graders to explore the laws of motion.

To help enrich the students’ learning experience and foster their understanding of theatre and the power of the written word, performance-based literacy programs offer adaptations of popular books such as, The Things They Carried and Farenheit 451.

Students may also voyage through the human body, visit the moon and discover how organs function by watching larger than life films exploring these subjects.

“We’re very excited about this opportunity to not only enhance and support students’ understanding of the district’s art and music program, but also the core curriculum as well,” added Crowley.

Duanesburg Middle/High School music/drama teacher Mira Ordon is certain that the students’ exposure to Proctor’s remarkable shows will help stimulate even more excitement in the district’s drama performance of Oklahoma this fall.

“I would love to take my students to some of the shows, tour the facility and possibly provide them with the opportunity to speak to the actors and production staff,” she said.

“Stories that Dance”—Elementary students will bring a story to life
One lucky elementary school classroom will transform a fictional story they write in class into a spectacular full-scale production to be performed live at Proctor’s Theatre.

As part of the one week “Stories that Dance” residency program, students will work in collaboration with the theatre’s education team and the Northeast Ballet Company. Together, they will develop the choreography, design the costumes and lighting, choose musical selections and much more.

In addition to the full week of residency and a rehearsal with the full production team at Proctors, students will conduct two live performances in the spring.