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The Martha's Vineyard Times is a weekly publication.
March 31 - April 6, 2005 Edition
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School with a twist March 31, 2005 By Julian Wise Taylor Hughes listens for "Annie's" breathing while Sarah Hall calls 911. Mary Vivian, a registered nurse, taught the infant CPR class. Photos by JJ Gonson Teacher Bob Yapp (left) and volunteers Cooper Gilkes and John Kollett watch over the fly-tying class. What if you came to school one day and none of your teachers showed up? For students in the Oak Bluffs School junior high, this unusual scenario has happened not once, but twice. On March 21 and 22, the entire middle school staff attended the New England League of Middle Schools in Providence, R.I. Rather than fill the classrooms with substitute teachers, photocopied worksheets, and educational videos, principal Laury Binney, vice-principal Carlin Hart, and middle school math teachers Eve Heyman and Jeannie Holenko attempted a bold alternative. The administrators and teachers solicited volunteers from the community to provide fun and engaging small-group activities for the students. As a result, more than 150 students participated in 35 workshops taught by 30 volunteers over the two-day period. Dubbed “Kool School” by the students, the activity extravaganza provided students with all sorts of memorable experiences. Among them were boating safety, chime ringing, bonsai gardening, crochet, origami, juggling, drumming, cooking, drama, first aid and CPR, painting, cosmetology, yoga, photography, and belly dancing. Nationally recognized author Nancy Aronie taught a writing workshop while recording engineer Jim Parr invited students to his music studio to learn recording basics. Exploring new things While the elementary school continued with its normal routine during the two days, the junior high wing was transformed. In the science room, jeweler Cecilia Minnehan showed students how to stamp patterns in metal and attach the pieces onto earring hoops. Ms. Minnehan, whose daughter, Courtney, attends the Oak Bluffs middle school, said she was delighted to participate in the two-day workshop series. “I figured, maybe I'll find a jewelry apprentice,” she laughed as she melted solder into an earring piece. And the kids loved it... Perhaps the biggest measure of Kool School's success was seen in the enthusiastic thank-you notes the students gave to Ms. Holenko and Ms. Heyman. o "Kool School was totally awesome. I had a great time. Thank you for all your hard work." o "Thanks so much. Let's do this again next year." o "It was awesome. You guys rock!" o "It was groovy, hip, sweet, and everything cool." o "Thanks for making my dream come true" (from a student who visited Jim Parr's music production studio.) o "Thanks so much. I can't believe you pulled this off!" Eighth grader Sophie Lew took a break from crafting an earring to praise the Kool School activities. “It's a great way to learn something new,” she said. “I never would have imagined myself making jewelry or being a hairdresser. It's a great way to explore and find new things.” In the greenhouse next door, kindergarten teacher Ann Davey instructed students in the art of scrapbooking. Students learned the nuances of selecting photos, cropping prints, and mounting them on colored backgrounds. Douglas Fraser, a sixth-grader, lined a digital print of his dog Sandy with pawprint stickers and colored letters. The novelty of the day was not lost on him. “Everything's so great,” he said. “It's a real blast. I can't really how explain how great it is, it's that good.” Involving the community Ms. Holenko and Ms. Heyman began seeking volunteers last December and worked up until the last minute to make sure the program ran seamlessly for the students and instructors. Students were provided with descriptions of the 35 workshops and asked to choose 10. They were then assigned two workshops per day from their top choices. “Having the community in our school and involved with the kids is wonderful,” Ms. Holenko says. “As the saying goes, 'it takes a village.' Many of the presenters called back to thank us for the opportunity.” “The volunteer participation shows how great this community is,” Mr. Hart says. “They were willing to come in and share their trades with the middle school students. They gave up their valuable time to make a positive impact on children, and from what I witnessed, they were successful. Jeannie and Eve were outstanding, putting in lots of late nights and phone calls. Without their organization, this would have never taken place.” Julian Wise is a frequent contributor to The Times, specializing in music, film, and the performing arts.

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