Our Rainbow Community has done it again: we’ve pulled off another spectacular production of Imagine!
From preschool through Omega, students performed skits, songs and lessons all wrapped up in a greater exploration of the outer self. This year’s Imagine performance complemented last year’s production that looked inward.
Each grade performed a skit and many teachers wrote the individual songs or skits themselves. Students performed them while being part of a greater, overall play, written by our very own Justin Pilla. Imagine happened on Justin’s birthday, as well – what an awesome present!
The Imagine play centered on extraterrestrial beings who came to Asheville to observe and try to be like tourists to find out information about humans. Unsuspecting students welcomed them, save one who was suspicious that the aliens really were from outer space.
Each act in Imagine was a demonstration of human knowledge through song, dance, poetry, acting, and much more.
Omega also put on a play between the two Imagine performances called “Time,” an adaptation of David Mamet’s The Revenge of the Space Pandas, or Binky Rudich and the Two-Speed Clock. One of our Omega students, Zoe E. rewrote the ending, hence the “adaptation.”
Enjoy the following photo journey of Rainbow’s 2014 production:
Everyone walked over to Calvary Baptist Church to see the Imagine Production
A Journey From Here…to the Beyond
The opening skit for Imagine
“Those are not aliens! They’re Tourists!”
First graders perform
Fifth grade dance
Third grade skit
A historical figure and a mesmerizing magical crystal
Second grade sings and performs
Our second grade teacher takes the stage!
A shadow performance
Fourth grade electrified
And a “Time” journey…
Opening scene – scientist at work – Waukegan, Earth
Theyre on another planet: Crestview, Fourth World in the Goolagong System
The king demands the sheep wool.
More about Time…
Hiding from the beings on Crestview
Hopefully this does not result in unfair punishment
Imagine was spectacular this year. The script was written by Rainbow teacher, Justin Pilla, directed by teacher, Dusty McKeelan with music written by parent Billy Goodrum. Additional music was provided by former Rainbow parent, Richard Gannaway.
All the grades worked together to put on this wonderful production of the seven domains. Puppeteer, Donovan Zimmerman, of Paperhand Puppet Company came to train the staff in puppet making and work with the students to build the puppets you see in the video. Marvelous.
Pop Ferguson has been playing the blues since he was a kid and this week he is sharing his passion with Rainbow fifth and sixth graders. LEAF in Schools and Streets partners with LEAF performers to bring some of their talents to schools all over the Asheville area. Children working directly with artist leads to inspiration and change in a child’s life. It can spark a passion that will last a lifetime.
This same reason is also why every year Rainbow Mountain also brings both performing and visual artist into the school to work with all the children. The month of May has the arts in full swing here and on this Friday, May 18th, we will hold an all day celebration of the arts with our Imagine! event. On this day the classes and parents will tour the visual art galleries set up around campus and then walk down to Calvary Baptist Church to watch the performances.
Not only has the fifth and sixth grade class been learning to play the blues but they have also taken the bus downtown to photograph the city while working with photographer, Mehera Kleiner. Other classes are also having having fun. The third grade class is up to their elbows in newspaper strips as they make bird mask with ornithology enthusiast, Alan Ward. In fact they’re up to their elbows in all things bird. They’ve needle felted little birds, they’ve sculpted birds, and of course they’ve studied birds.
Kindergarten is learning Brazilian samba dance. First grade studied photography and are now in the middle of African dance, Second, Fourth and the Omega program are all rehearsing for their plays. Walking by the classrooms I overheard some strange dialog until I remembered it’s play practice. Whew! I’m hoping to get away from the front desk Friday to see all the acts. It promises to be entertaining.
Recently the second graders had an interesting project;
Dear 2nd grade Frogs,
It is very difficult to catch a tricky leprechaun, but you and your family can have a great deal of fun trying! Who knows, maybe you’ll get lucky. The first thing you need to do is build a trap. There is no right or wrong way to build a leprechaun trap.
You can make your contraption with a net, boxes, sticks, or anything else you can think of such as paper towel rolls, empty containers, tin foil, paper, string, yarn, etc. How about using an old shoe? Remember, you must be clever to catch a leprechaun so give this project some time, thought and effort- maybe even planning it out on paper first.
Once you build your trap, don’t forget to add bait to help lure the leprechaun. Since Leprechauns are very greedy, one of the best things you can use for bait are coins! They especially like anything shiny. They also love rainbows, four leaf clovers and round stones.
Make sure your trap is well disguised. It needs to blend into its surroundings or the leprechauns will not come anywhere near your trap. You will bring your trap to school on Tuesday, March 15th and leave it in the classroom. No two traps should be alike or the leprechauns will get suspicious and leave. So, make sure to use your own ideas.
When your trap is done, write a story about the leprechaun that will come to visit your trap. Make it an exciting and entertaining adventure. Your story needs to have an exciting beginning to interest the reader, a middle with some type of problem and an ending with a solution. You will be reading your story to the class on Tuesday, March 15th.
Have fun and may the luck of the Irish be with you!
Seven Mixed-Media Quilts Create a Community Rainbow
One rainy September morning, Rainbow Mountain mom and fiber artist Jacqui Fehl woke up with a “big idea.†One that took last year’s Rainbow quilt project and multiplied it by seven.
“I wanted this year’s quilt project to be even bolder,†Jacqui shares. “I wanted to create a series of quilts that would include every child’s artwork and highlight our diverse and incredibly talented children and families.â€
The seven mixed-media quilts are currently on display in the school’s multi-purpose room. Each quilt associates a particular grade level with a specific hue. When hung together, a rainbow emerges that reflects the artistic contributions of the entire school community from preschoolers through eighth graders, teachers and grandparents.
