Gross Schechter offers art electives for middle school students

BECKY RASPE | SPECIAL SECTIONS STAFF REPORTER braspe@cjn.org | @BeckyRaspeCJN

For the first time, Gross Schechter Day School in Pepper Pike is offering an arts elective program for its middle school students.

Sheri Gross, director of creative programming, said though the middle school had arts opportunities before, the electives are the first of its kind.

Gross

“This is my third year here, but when I first came under my title, I also started teaching drama to the elementary school,” Gross said. “The middle school students saw that, and they wanted that opportunity too. So, I met with Randy

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’

WHO: Gross Schechter

Day School’s eighth-grade drama students

WHERE: Gross Schechter

Day School’s Merkaz, 27601 Fairmount Blvd., Pepper Pike

WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 19

TICKETS: $5

MORE INFO: 216-763-1400 or grossschechter.org

Boroff (Gross Schechter’s head of school) to see how we could add these programs to the day. So, we created our academy program. That seemed to go well, but we relooked over the process and thought about how we could use the program for different things. We came to the choice of offering our art specials to the middle school and gave them a bit more choice.”

For the first trimester of the electives program, students had a choice between bucket drumming in music, 2D design in art or a production of “To Kill A Mockingbird” in drama.

“We’re trying to branch out and get children to know that art is important,” she explained.

Specifically for the production of “To Kill A Mockingbird,” Gross said students can use their artistic experiences to make sense of their role in the community and world.

“I thought it would be a big challenge for the kids and the school, and the students opened up to it,” she said. “We performed ‘The Miracle Worker’ last year and the buzz was that we wanted to do another important show after that.

We wanted the kids to be able to learn about prejudice and social injustice in a different way.

“It’s about what we have in common regarding racial discrimination and social injustice and the whole process has been amazing. The students have taken the material and have been so mature about it. It’s important for kids to understand, especially in our world today, the social injustice that we’re experiencing.”

Gross said the school has a positive outlook on the future of the electives program.

“It’s what everyone says about arts in schools, it can open up a child’s mind to look at things in a new way,” she said. “The arts program is just a bridge to the rest of their education.”