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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.The Great Lakes Theater Education Department presented “The Jabberwocky” at Canfield Village Middle School for the fifth- and sixth-grade students on Feb. 24. The performance was made possible by a donation to the school from the Junior Women’s League of Canfield.
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Neighbprs | Abby Slanker.Members of the Great Lakes Theater Education Department presented “The Jabberwocky” at Canfield Village Middle School for the fifth- and sixth-grade students on Feb. 24. The professional performance is based on the poem by Lewis Carroll and focuses on being kind to one another.
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Neighbors | Abby Slanker.Canfield High School alumni Brian Chismar visited Canfield Village Middle School with The Great Lakes Theater Education Department, which performed “The Jabberwocky” on Feb. 24. Chismar is the sound designer for the theater and got his start in seventh-grade with the help of CVMS expressive arts teacher Kandace Cleland (right). His mother, Amy (left), also attended the production.
By ABBY SLANKER
The Great Lakes Theater Education Department presented “The Jabberwocky” at Canfield Village Middle School for the fifth- and sixth-grade students on Feb. 24.
The professional performance is based on the poem by Lewis Carroll.
Canfield Village Middle School Guidance Counselor Patrice Loree welcomed the students as she introduced the production.
“Thank you to the Junior Women’s League of Canfield for providing the opportunity for our students to experience this play today. It takes a lot of money and a lot of support to make this happen and we appreciate their help. We hope this play helps you learn life lessons and teaches you to be the best you can be,” Loree said.
The performance was made possible by a donation to the school from the Junior Women’s League of Canfield.
“The donation the Junior Women’s League of Canfield was able to make to the middle school was the result of the tremendous Fall Market we had last year. We had more than 200 vendors and wonderful support from the local business community, which made it possible for us to expand our giving to education. We always give a scholarship to a Canfield High School graduating senior, but we wanted the money we raised to benefit many more students,” said Peggy Rowe, Junior Women’s League of Canfield member.
According to Rowe, the Junior Women’s League of Canfield asked each school, including teachers and administrators, to come up with a wish list of what they would do with a $1,000 donation.
“All four schools came up with awesome ideas. Mr. Rubin and the middle school teachers chose to have the Great Lakes Theater present ‘The Jabberwocky’ for the fifth- and sixth-grades students. The school is focusing on kindness and this theater production was at the top of their list for their students. The school then gave the remainder of the donation to the MathCounts coach to help with travel expenses for their competitions,” Rowe said.
According to Rowe, the money the Junior Women’s League of Canfield donated will benefit more than 700 students just this year and the benefits will be carried on from year to year.
“The money the Junior Women’s League of Canfield donated will benefit over 700 students, just this year, and will benefit students for years to come. For example, Hilltop Elementary School chose a big book library for their kindergarten students and also chose break-out kits for their fourth-graders. They also chose alternative seating, such as balance balls, for their third-graders, which addresses different learning styles. We wanted to provide something that teachers wanted, but didn’t have the money for,” Rowe said.
According to Rowe, C.H. Campbell Elementary School used their donation to purchase alternative seating for kindergarten students, such as balance balls, cushions and stools. Canfield High School designated its donation for the Speech and Debate team for travel expenses.
“Ideally, the Junior Women’s League of Canfield would like to be able to do this every year. Our goal is to be able to continue our commitment to education grant. Our dozens of Fall Market donors, including Bob and Chuck Eddy, Cortland Bank and Top Flite Financial, increase our profits and make this all possible. We are always looking for vendors for the Fall Market which is always held the third Saturday in September on the Green,” Rowe said.
At the conclusion of the play, the cast of the show asked the students questions, and vice versa.
The actors wanted to know which parts of the play, whether funny, scary or cool, stood out to the students. The actors also asked the students which characters they identified with and why. And lastly, the actors asked the students if they could give advice to any character in the play, what would it be?
The students were curious about how the production members travel and set up their set and how they change so fast during the play. They also asked how long the cast has been rehearsing the play and who each cast member considered their favorite actor.
As a bit of a surprise for the students, the cast introduced their sound designer Brian Chismar, a 2009 Canfield High School graduate.
“I remember Miss Cleland gave me my first opportunity to run the sound board in seventh grade for ‘Bye Bye Birdie.’ My dream started here. I’m sure some of the famous artists out there realized their dream and started their journey in seventh-grade, too. Students can learn through the arts. The arts are important as they give students creativity and confidence,” Chismar said.