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QC01222015

62 THE QUEENS COURIER • CATHOLIC SCHOOL • JANUARY 22, 2015 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com catholic school week Performing arts program offered at Catholic schools across Queens BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO school and the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Trust aaltamirano@queenscourier.com/@aaltamirano28 Fund. It is offered at 19 schools in Queens and 17 schools in Brooklyn. Students at Catholic schools across Queens and Fourth-graders work on fi lmmaking and stop Brooklyn are learning that all the world is a stage. motion animation using tablets and cameras. The students For the past few years, the Diocese of Brooklyn has get together in teams to create short animated been partnering with the nonprofi t theater company fi lms that tell a story. Stages on the Sound Inc. to offer the Performing “It’s all about telling a story with images,” Choiniere Arts Residency Program to almost 16,000 children said. “That’s critical and important in the 21st century.” every week at academies and schools throughout both boroughs. Sixth-graders take a step ahead and begin focusing Through this program, students from the fourth, on playwriting. While working in teams, the children sixth, and eighth grades at each school take part in begin to identify issues they might see in their lives one-hour-long weekly classes for 15 weeks taught by are important — such as bullying or school violence professionally trained actors and teachers. — and create plays refl ecting those themes. “It builds up their self-esteem, gives them ability to The older students in the eighth grade then work be creative and allows them to express themselves, on a Shakespeare curriculum, reading and acting out which they might not have the chance to do in the scenes from plays. classroom,” said Robert Choiniere, managing director “They’re beginning to learn that it’s about acting, of Stages on the Sound. not just reading, and it’s not boring,” Choiniere said. The program is funded in partnership with each individual When the 15-week program comes to an end, the students present their works during a performance at each individual school. Although the timeline at the schools vary, most of the programs will be coming to an end in February. On May 8, there will be a gala performance and award ceremony with parents and teachers showcasing the top fi lms from all participating schools. According to Choiniere, this program is the fi rst time a lot of the students are being exposed to the performing arts. Participating in the program opens the doors to a cultural arts experience and potentially to a future in the fi eld. “This is the time when they are thinking about ‘what I want to do when I grow up,’” Choiniere said. “The students have latched right onto it. Everybody across the board has found this program to be very exciting.” He added that they hope to be able to expand the program to other schools, Catholic or public. For more information on Stages on the Sound visit www.stagesonthesound.com. Photos by Roopa Bhopale


QC01222015
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