Friday, October 31, 2003

Halloween Sing (Oct 2003)

[Milton Academy News Article]

Boo! Spooky Poetry and Halloween Sing Mark the Holiday

The annual Halloween parade and Lower School sing marked festivities this October 31. Students and teachers paraded from the Junior Building to Greenleaf to the new student-faculty center, transformed into characters such as Red Sox-almost-heroes, princesses, pirates, wizards, butterflies, crayons, clowns and more. Principal Annette Raphel was a die, accompanied by other dice.

Sporting electric guitars, Gary Shrager, co-director of the Saturday Course, and Matthew Etherington, music faculty member, led community members in song(see photo).

On the previous morning, fifth grade teachers Matt Reed and Scott Ford hosted parents and third graders at the 23rd annual Halloween poetry reading. Students—some dressing a ghoulish part—recited poetry about goblins, skeletons, monsters and witches by poets such as Ken Nesbitt, Jack Preletsky and others. A group of three student-witches recited the famous passage from Act IV of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which begins, “Double, double, toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble.”

On a set that featured a glowing jack o’ lantern, all fifth graders, either solo or ensemble, stepped up to deliver their chosen spooky verse.

Fifth grade curriculum has long emphasized poetry throughout the year, said Matt. Matt and Scott Ford, a 23-year Lower School veteran, introduce students to the poetic form and also Pam McArdle, Upper School performing arts faculty member, teaches drama once a week to the students and also helps them practice poetry recitation.

“I tell them that with poetry, it’s more than memorization. You still have to tell the story,” Pam says.