The Martha's Vineyard Times The Martha's Vineyard Times
The Martha's Vineyard Times The Martha's Vineyard Times The Martha's Vineyard Times
The Martha's Vineyard Times The Martha's Vineyard Times

Class Acts

Posted March 15, 2007

Benjamin Davey
Benjamin Davey demonstrates static electricity using a balloon, salt and pepper. Photo by J. W. Smith

"The answer is blowin' in the wind"

For third-graders Mya Houston and Nelly Katzman, the solution to much of our energy crisis can be found in the words of the Bob Dylan song. The two students began their Energy Night presentation by singing a few lines of "Blowin' in the Wind." Anne Williamson's class at the Tisbury School gave their ideas on energy to parents and guests on Feb. 21. Energy presentations such as a working volcano by Casey McAndrews, and a straight-to-the-point poster by Gabriel Canham with the words "Sail by the wind" showed how these children understand our world's energy crisis and what we need to do to fix it.

Nan Doty, school coordinator for Cape Light Compact and Vineyard Energy Project, spoke about the free energy audit for homeowners and had information available. The students all wore white, Cape Light T-shirts.

Oak Bluffs classroom
The Rain Forest comes to life in an Oak Bluffs classroom. The animals give each other compliments and wily snakes curl around the tree. Photo by Ralph Stewart

We are the world

Students at the Oak Bluffs School have spent the last two months engaged in a multicultural exploration of global societies. Spanish teacher Rebecca Geary has orchestrated the school-wide project that has included arts and crafts, cooking, dance, song, and literature. Students have learned about cultures in Africa, Japan, Brazil, Australia, and other far-flung locales. Individual classrooms designed bulletin boards to highlight specific countries.

Katherine Donegan and Fionnuala Howell
The queen of the Nile (Katherine Donegan) and Harry Houdini (Fionnuala Howell) seem to be caught in a time warp. Biography Night brought so many different people together. Photo courtesy of Tisbury School

Who am I

In Janet Stiller's language arts class the fifth and sixth graders are encouraged to act out, on Biography Night that is. It all begins when each student reads a biography. Little by little the students become immersed in the lives of these famous people until at last, on Biography Night, they appear dressed as the person, and prepared to be interviewed by Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt (Ms. Stiller).

This is the 12th Biography Night and 42 students performed in the school library for parents and friends. Former school secretary Ruth Stiller (Ms. Stiller's mother-in-law) served refreshments.