The January 23 Upper Division Electives Showcase was a big-hearted collaboration of teachers throughout the Art, Makerspace, Music, Drama, Robotics, and Physical Education departments, celebrating the hard work and dedication of our students as they presented their skills and accomplishments to the Park community.
From tangible (expertly crafted woodworking destined to be cherished family heirlooms) to physical (exuberant zumba dance routines and theater-in-the-round) to intellectual (hands-on solutions to real life problems in the Makerspace), and visual (impressive portraits, prints, and sculptures), the event encompassed a vast array of media, mood, and method, providing students with many opportunities to explore new avenues of expression, partner in problem-solving, and find joy in challenge.
Now in its fourth year, the electives program was designed to provide sixth, seventh, and eighth graders at Park with the opportunity to experience a wide range of courses, and to choose the classes they are most interested in taking. There are four electives blocks each year, providing students with the chance to take twelve electives during their time in the Upper Division.
The Art department offers a wide variety of offerings, ranging from Wood and Wire in the woodshop, to Ceramics, to Printmaking. The Music department offers both performance and theory classes, and the Drama department offers classes focused on performance as well as theater tech. In addition to visual, performing and musical arts, there are opportunities for students to explore electives classes in PE, writing, robotics, makerspace, and leadership. Each spring, students make selections for the following year based on their interests and arts requirements.
Academic Excellence is one of Park’s core values, and we see it play out every day in math, science, humanities, and language classrooms. However, the learning that takes place in Park’s wide range of elective offerings provide students the chance to explore excellence through different forms of expression and in a variety of media. These opportunities are important enough that Park expects every Upper Division student to complete two electives in each Drama, Music, and Visual Arts as a graduation requirement, with additional opportunities to specialize in one area by Grade 8, ensuring that students are exposed to all areas of the arts.
Park’s drama electives function as interdisciplinary learning spaces where students exercise choice and agency in their education. Whether they’re developing critical thinking through improvisation, building literacy skills through adaptation, or practicing civic engagement through advocacy theatre, students are connecting dramatic arts to every aspect of their learning while discovering their own voices.”The Electives Showcase truly highlighted how drama education engages students across multiple dimensions,” shared Drama teacher Jordan Burnham-Bialik. “Our Drama One Oh One students delivered a hilarious improv performance that demonstrated their growing confidence and ability to think on their feet. What makes improv special is how it teaches students to support each other’s ideas while building collaborative problem-solving skills in real time.” Jordan continued, “The Page to Stage group proudly presented original theatrical adaptations they created specifically for our youngest learners. Watching our seventh and eighth graders transform beloved children’s literature into engaging performances for PreK and Kindergarten audiences showcased both their creativity and empathy. Perhaps most powerful was our Drama as Advocacy performance, where students used innovative forum theatre techniques to tackle real social issues. Through this participatory approach, audiences didn’t just watch a play—they became active participants in exploring solutions to the challenges presented.”
In the Makerspace, students presented independent projects specifically created to solve real-life challenges at Park, thereby making the community a better place. For example, one project centered on making it easier for PreK students to check out library books, recognizing that they aren’t yet tall enough to reach the library counter. The proposed design brought everything right down to eye level for Park’s youngest students.
The Grade 6 Collaboration space was transformed for the evening into a showcase for Robotics, another great example of creativity in which students apply knowledge and skills to solve problems. The Grade 8 Collaboration space, meanwhile, became home to a high energy Zumba demonstration. Physical Education teacher Kara Fonseca observed that the addition of Physical Education offerings to the electives offerings has given students yet another way to explore new and creative avenues, while taking away a lifelong appreciation for fitness as fun. Duane McClendon, who spearheaded the introduction of Zumba as an elective offering, observes “It’s so great to see students taking the risks and putting themselves fully into the activity, with pride in their performance. I hope the students take away what Zumba is truly about: having fun.”
The Electives Showcase even featured the talents of students in Park’s Leadership elective; they served as ushers in the theater. Students in the Creative Writing elective had a different opportunity to showcase their creativity by submitting their work to the Scholastics Writing Awards – earning a chance at regional and national recognition! The showcase Art show included work by Grade 5 students, including zen gardens created in woodshop and cardboard relief assemblages.
With the arrival of the spring semester, Park Upper Division students get to embrace a new series of electives options, and new opportunities to build skills, gain confidence, and enjoy a learning process they actively shape through the choices and discoveries they make. We can’t wait to see what new discoveries they will share in the spring!
