"It was really fun to see the students discover new talents and towatch them 'ham it up' on stage," commented one parent proudly in the lobby ofthe Broomfield Auditorium last Thursday, following the show "A Multi-SpeciesCelebration of Winter." The actors, singers and dancers were the talentedjunior kindergarteners, kindergarteners and elementary school children fromBroomfield Academy, a private school dedicated to the development ofexceptional, accelerated and creative students aged 3-12.
In the play, Broomfield Academy is in a winter forest. The Moose(played by James Potter) encounters his first winter season and he is curiousto know why people are nailing reindeer to their rooftops, putting blinkingtrees in their homes, and singing around "little trees with eight curvedbranches and tiny drinking cups." Owl (played by Jaya Sethi), Goose (SamCrist), Wolf (Holden Nicoletti) and the other forest animals decide to teachMoose about the various winter holiday traditions that people of different religionsand cultures celebrate this time of year.
Sarah Kleinsteiber, music teacher at Broomfield Academy producedthe program, in close collaboration with dance instructor DiAnn Schuler. Theplay contained humorous songs and rapid-fire jokes as well as numerousheartwarming solos, energetic group musical numbers and jazzy danceperformances.
"I chose this play not only because I thought it had great musicand humorous dialogue, but also because I felt it embraced learning aboutvarious cultures," commented Kleinsteiber. "Using different species of animalsto represent the diversity of the holidays and the traditions provided the kidswith a terrific way to learn about themselves and their families as well as agreat way to explore the traditions of fellow students and others, in thiscountry and around the world. The students at Broomfield Academy are a verydiverse group, and they were able to share their own family traditions andcelebrations with each other in a way that included a wide variety of faiths andcultures", she continued.
"Our teaching philosophy focuses on both academic excellence andcharacter education. By providing our students with numerous learningopportunities such as service learning projects, cultural studies, an artsprogram and theatrical performances such as this play, the children learnvaluable lessons about world diversity and about the necessity to treat otherpeople and their beliefs with respect", commented Dr. Vanessa Ewing, schoolprincipal.
"The play was a way to learn about traditions other than our own,"said Jaya Sethi, fifth grade student, who played a wise owl in the play.Second-graders Nathan Holland and Caitlin McFarlane said that they loved being"Superbadgers" in the play, flying around and acting as "know-it-alls" aboutThanksgiving, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and New Years. The beavers, playedby the first graders, sang "Thank You For The Christmas Trees." "By winter ourteeth are just too sore to do any more chewing through wood, and we reallyappreciate it that people cut down trees, put them in their living rooms, andwait for us to come take them", shouted beavers Gabrielle Bunch and KamrynMcNair. . They sung about the manner in which they graciously took Christmastrees from neighborhood houses: "We drag them 'cross the kitchen floor, andshove them through the doggie door."
In the number "Family Time", a group of cute rabbits played by thekindergarten classes sang "35 uncles, 42 aunts, all want to kiss me, all wantto dance!" In "I Love That Family Time." The junior kindergarteners, age 3-5,acted as carolers, singing traditional Christmas songs while the second andthird graders sang "Oh Hanukkah." Dmitry Kolchin, dressed as a squirrel, sangabout wanting to take over Santa's reindeer's jobs with an impressive solopiece titled "I Want To Pull Santa's Sleigh." Ivy Rosen, dressed as the Bear,sang expressively in her solo ,"Too Many Latkes Again." Murray Rundus togetherwith other junior kindergarteners were particularly expressive in their singingand stage presence throughout the show. Krista Potter and Riley Tapley stolethe show with their jazzy dance duet performed to "Just Like A Yo-Yo."
Prior to the Winter Program, the school held a "Winter ArtsFestival", displaying student artwork and auctioning off some of thechildren's poetry, stories and student artwork, as well as baskets of goodiesdonated by local businesses and families. The auction raised over $2000 towardsthe educational and charitable activities of the Broomfield Academy Parent'sAdvisory Council.
About Broomfield Academy Broomfield Academy provides anindividualized education for exceptional, accelerated, and creative students.Broomfield Academy is a nationally accredited school offering full-dayprograms, beginning with junior kindergarten (with full and half-day programs)and continuing through the sixth grade. The school maintains small class sizesand utilizes an advanced curriculum - teaching at least one grade level higherthan public schools, as well as multiple curricula to develop individualizedstudent learning plans.
Broomfield Academy students recently scored an average of morethan two years above grade level on the Stanford Achievement Test.
The school focuses on academic excellence through the developmentand implementation of individual learning plans for each student, small classessizes and a well-rounded curriculum that includes world language, music, artand physical education. Broomfield Academy also puts a spotlight on characterdevelopment, which includes a "core virtue of the month" program, along withsignificant community service and charitable involvement.
"We could not be more pleased with our daughter's experienceat Broomfield Academy," says Beth Perez, whose daughter Christina attendskindergarten. "Her reading, writing, and math skills have improved dramaticallyin just a few short months. She is much more confident in her abilities and hasdeveloped a strong intellectual curiosity about the world around her. We'vebeen so impressed with the level of attention and warmth demonstrated by thestaff and administration at the school. It is wonderful to see our daughter soexcited to go to school each day!"
Broomfield Academy also provides on-site before and after schoolcare, as well as a full-day summer program. The school is acceptingapplications for spaces available, as well as accepting enrollments for the2008 - 2009 school year.
Broomfield Academy 7203 West 120th Avenue Broomfield, CO 80020(303) 469-6449 http://www.broomfieldacademy.com
Cast of Characters (3rd and 5th graders)
·Moose: James Potter
·Owl: Jaya Sethi
·Goose: Sam Crist
·Wolf: Holden Nicoletti
·Bear: Ivy Rosen
·Squirrel: Dmitry Kolchin
The Skunks: (3rd and 5th graders) Trevor Willenbring, DevinDesilva, Will Ishida, Kyle Winchell and Ryan Wagner
The Superbadgers :(2nd graders) Connor Nielsen, Nathan Holland,Caitlin McFarlane, Sneha Varanasi, Blake Manoff, Kevin Busch
The Beavers: (1st graders) Kaly Rendel, Grace Ortner, GabrielleBunch, Zach Kuster, Alex Beilfuss, Krista Potter, Riley Tapley, Kamryn McNair,Brendan Lavigne
The Rabbits: (Kindergarteners) Dylan Smith, Drew Kendall, JoshuaGong, Shriya Iyer, Avnee Kanherkar, Alex Hall, Madeline Schafer, ChristinaPerez, Lillian Emery, Cody Yan
The Carolers and Rabbit Singers: (Kindergarteners) Katie Ishida,Sarah Tang, Tom Crist, Elizabeth Agnew, Adrian Cheng, Anna Schoenfeld, EthanAnderson, Dawson Weiler, Kelly Walsh
The Family Singers and Carolers: (Junior Kindergarteners) CarterDorman, Micaela Landtiser, Keira Oakeson, Olivia Potter, Murray Rundus, ChayseTapley, Alex Weiler