March 31, 2006

School Scenes

Cambrian District gets creative with Family Fine Arts Night

More than 240 students and their parents took part in Family Fine Arts Night sponsored by the Cambrian Arts Council March 2 at three locations—classrooms at Ida Price Middle School, Fammatre Elementary School and the Cambrian Community Center, which is located between the two schools.

During the Cambrian Arts Council's Family Fine Arts Night Kristin Williams dances the hula to a tune that describes the beauty of Hawaii's last princes.

The night allowed all Cambrian District students and their parents with an opportunity to experience hands-on arts activities. Students and parents participated in workshops with titles like “Singing and Dancing through Stories,” “Afro-Brazilian Percussion Workshop” and “Watercolor Silhouette.” District staff and community members were featured throughout the evening that highlighted different art disciplines including music, performance art, dance and visual arts. It’s the second time the district has held the arts night, and given the enthusiastic student and parent response, won’t be the last.

Reports from the last arts night inspired this year’s events. “Students were trying new things they have never learned before; miming, playing drums, learning circle dances and then taking that newfound confidence directly into their classrooms,” said Susan Pivk, third grade teacher, parent and director of the Cambrian Arts Council.

“Family Fine Arts Night is a good example of how the Cambrian School District works with the local community to create programs that deliver standards-based arts education and enrichment for out kindergarten through grade eight students,” said Scot Weaver, Cambrian School District’s director of Curriculum Development.

Cambrian School District is made up of four elementary and one middle school in a 4-square mile area in West San Jose. The district’s goals include developing responsible citizens for tomorrow who will be lifelong learners by providing a challenging, high quality, academic program to meet individual potential.

From right to left: Alicia Kirk, Maggie Alass, Kimber Toda, Page Baldwinson (with her mom, Jill, behind her), Kristin Williams, and Aimee Carveiro learn how to hula dance during the Cambrian Arts Council Family Fine Arts Night.

The district offers small neighborhood schools with high academic standards and student support services. It also offers extensive staff development with involved and supportive parents as well as local business and community support.

The district developed a “Caring Community” around our school district, enlisting interested businesses, organizations and individuals to become partners with each classroom. Caring Community members help Cambrian students gain a clear picture of how the community works while building valuable partnerships within the surrounding Cambrian community. The San Jose Chamber of Commerce has endorsed the program.

The Cambrian Arts Council is composed of motivated teachers, parents, administrators and community members who have come together to ensure that all Cambrian students experience a high quality visual and performing arts education and to seek sustainable resources to support these vital programs.

According to the council, arts in education:

- Offers students multiple ways of appreciating and understanding the world around them.

- Strengthens problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

- Helps students know and understand the rich cultural and artistic legacy of the world they inhabit.

- Enhances observational skills.

- Promotes a student’s ability to envision possible next steps and empowers them to make choices.

- Engages students by making learning fun.

- Promotes deeper understanding of concepts across curriculum and creates opportunities for authentic assessment of that understanding.

Don’t take your hat off It’s ‘Seussical the Musical’

Union Middle School’s drama department is preparing for a May 18 opening of “Seussical The Musical.” The play will run through May 21 at the school, which is located at 2130 Los Gatos-Almaden Road.

Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty have lovingly brought to life all of our favorite Dr. Seuss characters, including The Cat in the Hat, Horton the Elephant, Gertrude McFuzz, Lazy Mayzie and all of the Whos of Whoville! These classic, colorful tales are seamlessly brought together by Jojo, a young child and “thinker of strange and wonderful thinks.” As each story unfolds you will marvel at how relevant and profound Seuss™’s subtle themes are; making this musical one that appeals to all ages.

The score emerges as a Seussian gumbo of musical styles, ranging from Latin to pop, swing to gospel, and rhythm and blues to funk! So let your toes tap, your fingers snap, and your imagination run wild in this wonderful show performed by very talented sixth, seventh and eighth grade students!

The musical is directed by Corliss Greene and produced by Jean Ross. There are two casts, a Ham cast and a Green Eggs cast. The Ham cast will perform on May 18 at 7 p.m., May 20 at 7:30 p.m. and May 21 at 1 p.m. The Green Eggs cast performs on May 19 at 7:30 p.m., May 20 at 1 p.m. with signing for the hearing impaired and May 21 at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $8 for reserved seats and $5 for bleachers and will be sold in the Quad at Union Middle School every day at lunch and after school for the two weeks prior to the show. Tickets also will be available at the door. For more ticket information contact seussical_ums_tickets@yahoo.com.

For more information, check out the Web site at www.umsdrama.org.

Willow Glen High presents ‘Once on This Island’

Willow Glen High School and the Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose will present “Once on This Island” the first two weekends in April at the Willow Glen High cafeteria.

The musical, with book and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and music by Stephen Flaherty, is based on the novel “my Love, My Love” by Roas Guy. It’s presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International.

High school students are playing the roles in the musical while CMT professionals are doing the behind-the-scenes chores such as direction and choreography. Doug Santan is directing with choreography by Izetta Fang. The musical director is Mark Alabanza and the orchestra is directed by Kenny Williams Jr.

Presented as theater in the round, the shows will be presented on April 1, 2, 6, 7 and 8 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 for general admission, $10 for students and seniors and $17 for VIP reserved seats.

For more information, call the box office at (408) 264-7377.

Community turns out for Willow Glen Elementary PTA’s annual fund-raiser

By Carol Rosen
Editor

About 150 people including parents, neighbors, friends and community members took a three-hour trip to Italy on March 26 without leaving Lincoln Avenue.

A large crowd attended the fifth annual Night in Northern Italy to benefit the students of Willow Glen Elementary School. Most of the evening included milling around, eating and drinking, and everyone paid attention during the live auction.

The annual benefit for the children of Willow Glen Elementary School at Vin Santo Ristorante included quite a crowd plus the silent and live auctions, door prizes and yummy extensive food and wine.

The PTA, which sponsors the Night in Northern Italy, grossed about $20,000, slightly more than last year. What is even more interesting is that a good portion of those attending don’t have children at the school.

The event has become so popular that it’s not just Willow Glen Elementary parents who turn out, said Mary Schorr, who chaired the function. “The word has gotten out. This year we had more couples without kids at school. There were incoming parents who had taken the kindergarten tour and decided to come as well as community members and neighbors of existing parents and friends of teachers. We even had parents from Booksin and Mitty attend.”

A number of VIPs also showed up for the fun. District 6 City Councilmember Ken Yeager was there as was San Jose Unified Superintendent Don Iglesias, SJUSD Boardmember Pam Foley and Will Glen Elementary Principal Dayle D’Anna. Other VIPs include Susan and Greg Russi who donated their restaurant for the evening and sold their hors de oeuvres to the committee at cost. They also donated their labor and the restaurant’s wait staff.

More than 40 items were available for the silent auction, including a package at Spa R&R, tickets to the opera and dinner, a summer fun package consisting of a number of activities for family outings and a family black and white print and sitting at Abracadabra. Live auction items included a Sharks’ jersey, tickets to a Jimmy Buffet concert, a child and an adult bicycle and poker parties. In fact, the poker parties were so popular, that two were sold each at prices over $650.

Everyone had such a good time, no one wanted to leave when the party was over.