JourneyTHROUGH OZ

We believe our job is to create a safe environment that:

• Acknowledges, respects, and celebrates all members.

• Helps students grow academically, socially, and emotionally, as individuals and a community. We create this environment by living four key goals.

Goal One: RECOGNIZING AND CELEBRATING WHERE STUDENTS ARE

Middle school students enter a new school environment and have to figure out who they are as individuals, students, friends, teammates, and community members. They want and need independence but they’ll also make mistakes and need guidance. Educators must get to know students in order to understand their strengths and challenges and to help students build confidence and find their voices.

Goal Two: CREATING SHARED EXPERIENCES AND EXPLORING NEW IDEAS, CONCEPTS, AND PEOPLE

Dorothy and Toto began their adventure in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in the middle of campus at dusk. The play ran through campus, following the yellow brick road and ending in the Emerald City inside our theater. The choral group was on the balcony singing during the transitions; it was an interactive evening filled with energy, fun, creativity and controlled chaos that accurately reflected their age.

Through this first trimester project, sixth grade students chose to be actors, designers, builders or singers. Teachers and students got comfortable with each other, and overcame many challenges. The class, the teachers, and the families defined themselves and their place in the community through this project.

Goal Three: DEVELOPING POSITIVE AND PRODUCTIVE SKILLS, HABITS, AND MINDSETS

In the story, Dorothy, Toto, the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and the Lion ventured down the yellow brick road, sharing their goals and needs with each other – a home, a heart, a brain, and courage. They became friends through being vulnerable and facing challenges together. By the end, they realized they had what they were searching for, but needed to develop it in themselves with the support of their friends. They even helped the Great Oz become a more authentic version of himself.

Coming into this year many students were put in a new experience, asked to do new things, encouraged to take risks and solve problems. We had first time actors in major roles like Oz. The builders had to design an Emerald City that they could create. Many of the designers became the stage crew as well. The singers picked and learned songs to fit our version of the play. A few students even took on the roles of stage and production managers. Our 43 new sixth graders came together to design, build, and perform this play in the first few months of being community members.

Our Middle School asks kids to lean in and embrace a growth mindset by seeing themselves as flexible and challenges as opportunities. We help them see missteps and failures as necessary parts of learning.

Goal Four: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND MAKING CONNECTIONS TO THE MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY

At the story’s end, Dorothy returned home to Aunt Em and the singers broke into "Over the Rainbow" which faded into a punk rock version of the same song. Each of the three groups ran to the front of the stage, held hands and bowed. The entire grade then spontaneously started dancing. They kept dancing; some formed a conga line, some ran in circles, some laughed together, and Toto barked. Pride and happiness in real life. This went on to boisterous applause until the director finally ended the program. They could have kept dancing for another 30 minutes.

As the students were having fun dancing and laughing together, the biggest smiles came from the teachers involved in the play. Through this experience, they came to know these students and developed authentic connections with them. Through the work, they helped students add their personalities and character into the play, bringing out the best in them.

This is how we build trust, how we’re able to challenge students to meet their potential and take risks. It’s how we build community.

A healthy school community is at its essence a family, and there really is no place like home.