Moving On

There are many graduations happening all over the Perkins School. Kindergarteners now know their letters and will use them in new ways in first grade next fall. Third graders will be coming back to the fourth grade. We have some graduates, however, who will not be back at the Perkins. Our fifth grade class is moving on to middle school.

This is a momentous occasion worthy of celebration. And we had a good one!


















Our graduating class of 2012!
























Several fifth graders made speeches. Here are some snippets of what they said:

"I thank my great-grandmother for helping me succeed so I can move on to my next goals."

"I know we had our ups and downs in our fifth grade. I'm sorry...I will miss your faces when I wake up in the morning."

"I want to thank my family and teachers who pushed me harder and harder to be who I should be...I love you, Mom!"



















Then special awards were given out for lots of different reasons: the student who made the most improvement, and the one who excelled in class participation, achievement awasrds in reading and writing and math, outstanding musical talent, as well as conduct, a science award, overall academic excellence, and the mayor's school spirit award. We have a very talented class.

Principal Brawer agreed. "You helped make our school better," he said.



















Then everybody got the most important certificate--their Moving On Diploma.



















The kids got their diplomas, the audience got a song and dance, then cheered and cheered.



















The kids looked proud and so were we!

It's a wonderful way for us to end the school year.

Evacuation Day Reflections #1

Our school play, Evacuation Day, the Musical, is over, but its effects are not. You can still hear a few kids humming as they move through the halls. A few more copies of the Perkins School's book, Why Do We Celebrate Evacuation Day?, can be seen on shelves and desks than usual.

Other outcomes may not be as visible, but they are just as important, maybe even more. Being in a play, trying hard, working in a group--these actions have an effect too. Occasionally, for a while, we'll report on how some of the kids felt being involved in the production.

To start off, here's Shakira, who played patriot Henry Knox.



















When I was in the Jungle Book show last year, I quit because I was too shy. I think it was the day of the show that I quit. But this year, it was different because my friends were there, and they were saying, “It’s okay,” and that I don’t need to be shy. When I got on stage, I wasn’t shy at all – also because my Mom was there. The first time, it felt like only she was watching me, so I was able to concentrate. The day that the mayor came, I was able to focus because I was so excited, He was in the front seat. I knew that I would be able to focus if I looked at the crowd and at him. I kind of felt inspired. I knew that if I did a good job, we would be able to do another performance because the mayor might think we did a good job. I also knew I would do a good job because I was playing Henry Knox and Henry Knox is the leader. He was the brains of Evacuation Day – so I knew I couldn’t be shy and give up because the colonists needed me!

We're on TV!

We at the Perkins know that the New Old Colony (aka Phase 1) has been finished for a while. We've been using the Tierney Learning Center and people have already moved into their new homes. Tuesday, however, was the official opening day, complete with the Mayor and a ribbon-cutting ceremony.



















This was a very big deal! Old Colony was the oldest housing development in Boston and now it is becoming the newest. Lots of reporters from the newspapers and television stations were there.
























They heard many people speak. Mayor Menino pointed out that Phase 1 of Old Colony is the most advantaged green (energy efficient) housing development in our state. Before the renovations, the energy costs for each apartment were about $4,000 a year. Now they will be about $1,200. That's a fun math problem to do. $4,000 - $1,200 = $2,800 savings. What a difference, especially since that's just the savings for one apartment and there are 116 new ones.

Governor Deval Patrick (in the photo above) said the New Old Colony is important for so many reasons. It created 600 jobs, beautiful green space and a magnificent community center--all because this community deserves it. "This is an example," he said, "of what happens when people come together to shape their future."

The crowd cheered.



















When our Evacuation Day, the Musical players came out, they also cheered. Principal Brawer had passed out the words to two of the musical's songs so the audience could sing along. And they did. Anyone who peeked could see Governor Patrick giving it a try.
























After the ceremony, many of the people in the audience came into the Tierney Center to look around. Our Perkins Lego Robotics afterschool group, which meets in the Tierney Center after school, was there to greet them. The kids were happy to talk about how they built and programmed their robots. Then they let the machines "speak" for themselves by crawling around the table.



















Our Why Do We Celebrate Evaculation Day? book, written by the Perkins kids and grownups, was also for sale. The result? More money for our Perkins graduate college fund.

What a great day.

The Play Continued

The kids learned a lot of history while doing Evacuation Day, the Musical. They learned about how the colonialists increasingly resented the British having power over them. They also learned how the colonialists managed to drive the British out of Boston without bloodshed.

How? Well, here's the short story. Take a look...



















#1 General Howe and the Redcoats bragged about their power over the colonists.
A mistake!


















#2 The colonialists didn't like the British attitudes and actions.
























#3 The colonists asked General George Washington for help kicking the British out of Boston.



















#4 Henry Knox worked with General Washington in protecting Boston and the colonists by bringing cannons over the Berkshire Mountains to Boston. The British had no idea this was happening!



















#5 Eventually the British found out the hard way. The colonialists faced off against them on Dorchester Heights (which is right near the Perkins School!) Guess who won!



















The Redcoats left Boston and the curtain goes down on our play and this incident in history.

The play is over for this year. Amazingly enough, the kids got to sing a few of the best songs from it once more--this time in front of Boston's Mayor Menino AND the Governor of Massachusetts.

When? How? You'll just have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

Showtime! (almost)

The kids worked so hard. They practiced for so long. It seemed like forever. Then it was over in a minute.

Instead of just saying Evacuation Day, The Musical was wonderful and leaving it at that, we thought we would spend a few posts this week reporting on the experience.






























Ask any actor, things feel very, very different once you are in costume.



















Suddenly you feel your part. You take the whole thing much more seriously.



















Scenery also makes things much more dramatic!



















Kids worked with our art teachers to paint the beautiful street scene of colonial Boston. It was based on an illustration from our book, written and illustrated by our own students, Why Do We Celebrate Evacuation Day?



















Our props weren't too shabby either. How about this cannon?

Do you know what was the best of all? Our audience! Parents, teachers, friends, neighbors came to see the show--all four performances.
























The mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, even came to see the show.

Do you wish you had been there? Well, perhaps we can reproduce some of it for you on the blog this week.