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Hilltop fourth-graders celebrate Ohio
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Under the direction of Tom Scurich, Hilltop Elementary School music teacher, and accompanied by Roni Sue Gregory, fourth-grade students played the recorder and sang several selections honoring Ohio during the school’s annual The Buckeye Trivia Show May 12.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Several Hilltop Elementary School fourth-grade students cheered while the other students played “Hang on Sloopy” on their recorders during the school’s annual The Buckeye Trivia Show May 12.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.A Hilltop Elementary fourth-grader played the role of emcee, with another in the role of camera man, during the school’s annual The Buckeye Trivia Show May 12.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Hilltop Elementary School fourth-grade students played contestants who answered trivia questions about the state of Ohio during the school’s annual The Buckeye Trivia Show May 12.
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 Great State of Ohio during their performance of The Buckeye Trivia Show May 12. The evening featured displays of artwork from each student and musical selections woven into the trivia show.
“Welcome to An Evening of Art and Music. This show is a result of lots of hard work from our fourth-grade students, our fourth-grade staff, our accompanist Mrs. Gregory and, of course, our music teacher Mr. Scurich and our visual arts teacher Mrs. Leonard. It’s an amazing show and we hope you enjoy,” said Joe Maroni, 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. Each piece represented specific connections with Ohio heritage and showcased some unique perspectives of Ohio’s past.
Featured artwork included the Ohio artifact, the Mica Hand made of clay and colored pencil; then-and-now pencil drawings of students’ self-portraits; a mixed media visual perspective titled “A Tree in Perspective;” a tempera painting titled “The Cardinal,” which was a study in color theory; printmaking of Aztec Designs as a study in patterning; The Ohio Trivia Train, a study in found objects and assembly structure; and coil pottery made of clay, which focused on Ohio’s pottery industry.
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.
“Now I’m wondering if I should send home a quiz on Ohio facts,” said Scurich as he addressed the audience at the end of the show. “Thank you so much for coming and sharing your wonderful children with us. They worked so hard and I am so pleased and so proud of them. I also want to thank Hilltop’s staff for being so patient and flexible with us. We could not do it without you.”
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.
“It is bittersweet as we say goodbye to our fourth-graders as they move on the middle school. I would ask you to continue to encourage them and inspire them as they further their education and continue to become well-rounded children and leaders of the future,” Scurich said.