43
Hilltop fourth-graders present the Buckeye Trivia Show
Photo
Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Under the direction of Tom Scurich, Hilltop Elementary School music teacher, fourth-grade students played the recorder and sang several selections honoring Ohio during the school’s annual The Buckeye Trivia Show May 2.
Photo
Neighbors | Abby Slanker.A Hilltop Elementary School fourth-grade student happily showed off her artwork during the school’s evening of art and music May 2.
Photo
Neighbors | Abby Slanker.A Hilltop Elementary School fourth-grade student show played Contestant No. 2 during the school’s annual The Buckeye Trivia Show May 2.
Photo
Neighbors | Abby Slanker.During ’commercial breaks’ of Hilltop Elementary School’s fourth-grade the Buckeye Trivia Show, students from each class had speaking roles, which focused on facts about Ohio history May 2.
By ABBY SLANKER
In their final days at Hilltop Elementary School, the fourth-grade class presented an evening of art and music in tribute to the state of Ohio during their performance of the Buckeye Trivia Show May 2. The evening featured displays of artwork from each student and musical selections woven into the trivia show.
“This is the last time these students will perform at Hilltop. They are so excited to present this show. They have worked so hard and we are so proud of them. This is their fourth-grade finale,” said Cathy Mowry, Hilltop Elementary School principal.
The event showcased the efforts of the students in visual and performing arts. It also connected visual art and performing arts with fourth-grade social studies.
The students’ artwork, which was completed throughout the year in art class taught by Diane Leonard, was on display in the hallways before and after the show. The focus of the fourth-grade visual art curriculum was to gain a better understanding of the influence of culture on art.
Featured artwork included the prehistoric Indians in Ohio, which was inspired by artifacts like the Mica Hand, the Copper Ornament and the Great Serpent Mount of Southern Ohio; tribal leaders of the historic Indians, which was inspired by portraits of wise and important tribal leaders; the evolution of the pottery industry in Ohio, which focused on pottery plants in southern Ohio, each of which had a distinct mark representing their pottery and each class designed a maker’s mark and added the maker’s initials to their individual pottery piece; the Tree of Life and our own culture, which consisted of the five most important things in the students’ lives and they were then represented in the students’ own version of a Tree of Life; decorative arts and metal ceiling tiles, of which the students patterned their aluminum sheetings after fine cultural pieces and were inspired by symbols which represented the great state of Ohio and Victorian architecture in Ohio, which inspired the students’ simple line drawings.
The performing arts portion of the show was under the direction of Tom Scurich, Hilltop Elementary School music teacher. Musical selections, several of which honored the state of Ohio, included “The Star Spangled Banner,” “Fifty-Nifty United States,” “Down the River,” “Follow the Drinking Gourd,” “Ohio is My Home,” “Hang on Sloopy,” “This Land is Your Land” and “Beautiful Ohio.” Roni Sue Gregory provided piano accompaniment. The students also played the recorder during several selections.
The Buckeye Trivia Show operated like a television game show with three contestants answering questions on the subject of Ohio’s history. The production had a cast of students playing the roles of emcees, contestants, a stage manager, a scorekeeper, a camera man and an applause sign holder.
During ’commercial breaks’ several students from each class had speaking roles, which focused on Ohio history, such as facts about famous Ohioans, the Underground Railroad, the Great Seal of the State of Ohio, the state’s first capitol, Native American Indian tribes, the naming of areas of the state and biographical information on the eight presidents from Ohio.
The students were dressed in matching T-shirts, which were designed by a member of their class, and had each student’s signature on the back. Student artwork was also highlighted in the program for the event.