JANUARY 18, 2016
LAKEVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL
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January 29th
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“GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE!”
JANUARY 19-22
HOW 7
GRADE BROUGHT
A CHRISTMAS CAROL TO LIFE
TH
INTRODUCTION…
Tiny Tim, in a burst of pure
elation, says, “God bless us,
every one!” It is also the quote
that punctuates the very end of
Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella A
Christmas Carol, which is
arguably the most famous
Christmas story of all time. I
have always treasured this quote
and the story about how Scrooge
miraculously transforms from a
misery old penny pincher to a
compassionate and
philanthropic human being with
the “help” of four ghostly
friends. We know that without Scrooge’s help, Tiny Tim—the beloved child with crutches—will not live to see the next
Christmas. Using his characters as a weapon of mass construction, Charles Dickens reminds us about how each of us can
make a difference in the world. And what better time to get that message is there than in the Christmas season? Our 7th
grade teachers teamed up and made sure that their
students heard that message loud and clear on the last
day before Christmas break.
Aspiring to Inspire...For those of you who
have never read A Christmas Carol, it’s not exactly an
easy text. In 1843, Dickens lavishly decked his writing
out with a whole host of SAT-worthy words. With
dictionary and teacher on stand-by for decoding
purposes, the entire 7th grade plunged into this book in
the weeks leading up to break--analyzing and discussing
the text, characters, and theme. Some students even
wrote personal versions of how they might redirect their
own lives! This takes a New Year’s resolution to the next
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LAKEVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL
level and truly helps our students reflect on what is really important to
them. Additionally, each English teacher chose a different movie
version for their classes and compared and contrasted the film to the
original text. But our teachers wanted to go one step further.
Mrs. E. Wilson talked with Mrs. Graeser, Mr. Figuly, Mr. Chronister,
and Mr. Gysegem about what else they could do to bring Dickens’ work
to life for their students, and Mrs. Graeser suggested that they perform
it as a play. With that inspired decision, each class period worked on
different “staves” (or chapters) as a play for the 7th grade student body.
When I was told about this concept, I was very excited about this
opportunity for our students to bring this to life—to really experience
the power of A Christmas Carol in a new way. The only itsy bitsy
challenge here was that they sort of had a limited timeframe: less than
two weeks. The pressure was on.
In days prior to the play production, I walked past the cafeteria (the
location of the 7th grade performance) and saw Mrs. Wilson’s students
doing a dress rehearsal. In Mrs. Graeser’s room, she was now a
choreographer—getting her students ready to present the opening act.
They were also busily transforming mauve-colored , plastic tablecloths
into high society Victorian-looking dresses to truly set the stage using
such materials as duct tape to make the pleats in the skirts. For just a
few days, our 7th grade English classes were a frenzied beehive of
activity fueled by the pressure and excitement that everyone would be
watching them. I have to admit, I was curious if they could pull this
together given the fact that each class was working separately from one
another. I was also more than impressed with the seriousness and
dedication of our 7th grade students who took this challenge and ran
with it. This was British literature. Weren’t students supposed to
cringe and cry out in agony here? Instead, here they were coming up
with props and costumes, rehearsing, and discussing how they might
bring their character to life best.
The Show Must Go On...
On the day
of the performance, the entire school was
already buzzing with excitement because it was
the last day before break. The 7th graders
anxiously filed into the cafeteria around 1:30,
and all of the teachers gathered together in a
jubilant little cluster at the rear of the cafeteria.
This was one of the rare times when students
ran the show—literally. Out came the young
men and ladies to have their high-society
dance—a real one—and the 7th grade girls
twirled their tablecloth-made dresses like they
were made by a dress shop. Our young men—all
fancied up now—took delight in their partners.
This scene was designed to be a stark contrast to
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LAKEVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL
the next one when the poor were “chained” to a millstone and lead miserable lives
of labor and poverty with no hope and no way out.
As the scenes unfolded, there were a number of delightful surprises. Some
students memorized their lines such as Hunter Picuri and Stephen Pavlansky. I
have to admit that as I watched those two, I was stunned. They didn’t have a
script in front of them!
There were other delights
as well. Abby Leonard
sang a solo. Emily Roper
donned a cap, put on an
English accent (of sorts),
and became a spunky
Mrs. Cratchit—giving a
spirited speech about
mean old Scrooge. I was also impressed by the solo dance that
Avery Probst did. Now, she was supposed to have a partner for
that dance, but on the day of the show he wasn’t at school. Mrs.
Graeser turned to Avery and said, “You’re a dancer. Make
something up!” Whatever she said to Avery, it must have
worked because out she came alone. All eyes turned to her, and
150 people sat watching, quietly impressed, as she danced. What
kind of courage does that take? If, and only if, my life depended
on it would I get out there and try that. And maybe not even then.
Conclusion...Mrs. E. Wilson told me that this play helped her
students to discover a “talent they didn’t know they had.” With a
mischievous eye, she also said that our students didn’t realize how
much they were learning through preparing for this play. Theme,
plot, characters, setting—all of these became real and palpable for
our 7th graders. The overarching message that Charles Dickens
conveys is that a good life is about love of family, fostering true
friendships, and giving to others in need. With that being said, I
will end this the way the author did with Tiny Tim’s immortalized
words: “God Bless us, every one!”
-Tracey Ryser, Lakeview Middle School Principal
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LAKEVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL
6th grade Brings Poetry to Life
“And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by...” Many of us have
heard those words from somewhere, but we may not know that it is a
quote from “Sea-Fever” written by British poet John Masefield. Mrs.
Graeser recently asked her students to choose one of the famous poems
in their literatue book that meant something special to them. Their task
was simply to use that poem as a model to create their own version of the
poem. One stand-out from the 6th grade class was Grace Mazur whose
poem haunts us with memories of our own days of playing on a
playground in our youth with friends—carefree and without worry.
Sea Fever
BYJOHN MASEFIELD
I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and
the sky,
And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by;
And the wheel’s kick and the wind’s song and the white
sail’s shaking,
And a grey mist on the sea’s face, and a grey dawn breaking.
I must go down to the seas again, for the call of the
running tide
Is a wild call and a clear call that may not be denied;
And all I ask is a windy day with the white clouds flying,
And the flung spray and the blown spume, and the
sea-gulls crying.
--by Grace Mazur
I must go down to the seas again, to the vagrant gypsy life,
To the gull’s way and the whale’s way where the wind’s like
a whetted knife;
And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow-rover,
And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long
trick’s over.
Our 4th graders enjoyed one of the last perfect days of the year in October where the
skies were blue, and they gave themselves over to the joys of childhood on the
playground.
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