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It takes a lot of work for the North Frontenac Little Theatre to put on a musical. The casts are large, there are songs and lines to learn, musicians to be found, costumes, and on an on. It's pretty hard to pull all the pieces together in a small community when actors and back stage people need to travel 30 to 60, and in one case this time around, 90 minutes to rehearsals.

Usually the effort is grounded in a script and a set of songs that have been worked out over time through workshop productions, regional theatre, a stint on Broadway and often a movie version before being taken up by the Little Theatre. The company tends to use licensed versions that are specially prepared for amateur theatre companies across North America.

Not so with Turtle Crossings, an original musical written by long time NFLT member Craig Godfrey. Godfrey has been shopping around the idea of a musical for a few years. He wanted to set it in cottage country and he wanted to explore the relationship between permanent and summer residents. Last year Brian Robertson, the current President of  NFLT, agreed drect the play and Godfrey set out to complete the script and write the songs for Turtle Crossings, which is based on his own Novella, The Custodian.

The challenges that come with a new piece of theatre, with unfamiliar songs, is immense. Never having seen the play performed, not knowing if the characters will ever translate to the stage, if the songs will be understood and will move the plot forward, made Turtle Crossings a risk for NFLT to take on.
In the end the production of Turtle Crossings was a success. Performances by a cast that included some talented first time NFLT performers who were able to perform songs in tune and in character, made the play work.

A trio of NFLT veterans (Danielle Quenneville, Sandy Roberston, and Dick Miller) played the urban friends of the lead character Tesah with assured comic timing and physicality. They kept things entertaining as the serious business of the relationship between Tesah and Billy (the custodian) was played out over the 2.5 hour long running time of the play. The crew of young actors who’s skills have been developing over the last few youth oriented productions showed their experience has paid off as well, keeping everything moving and bringing a sense of community to the action of the play.

Danielle Quenneville, Tesah's room-mate Vicky from the City, got the evening going singing the only cover song in the production, Janis Ian's At Seventeen, not an easy song to pull off, in a set designed by Donna Larocque which captured the feel of an urban country bar in the early 1990's. The band, led by musical director Elisabeth Convery on piano, with Gary Giller on bass, Nathan Paul on drums, Martina Field on fiddle, and David Yerxa on percussion, were visible at the back left of the stage. This was particularly effective in the bar scenes, although not so much when the play shifted to the cottage scenes later on. Throughout the night, however, the band did a great job supporting the numerous vocalists.

Quenneville set the stage for Jennifer Argyle, who played the adult Tesah, a music teacher in her late 30's and a regular performer at the bar. Argyle, who performs as a country singer herself, easily slipped into the persona of Tesah as a fun loving teacher who enjoys letting her hair down on evenings and weekends singing and drinking with her friends at their local. The whole scene was pulled together by the antics of John Stephens as the bartender/announcer.

Tesah's past intervenes early on as she reveals that her estranged father has left her the family cottage. Tesah tells her friends that she spent each summer at the cottage as a child and then attended High School in the country after her father decided to move the family to the cottage, much to the chagrin of her long suffering, alcoholic mother.

The scene shifts to the cottage during Tesah's youth, and for this transition a simple yet effective technique was used. Arglye stood still, facing the audience, and Ellie Larocque, who played Tesah as a child, came onstage and stood behind her, facing the back of the stage. The two actors spun around slowly until Larocque was facing the audience, and Argyle left the stage. Back in the early 60's, Tesah and Billy (Bailey Paddick) an older local boy who does maintenance at the cottage, are helping baby turtles get from the driveway where they have hatched, to the water. The relationship between Billy and Tesah, which is central to the play, is set in this scene. The play shifts back and forth from the past to the present (which is 1993), as Tesah and her friends are preparing to visit the cottage on Canada Day Weekend. Gradually more and more of the past is revealed. The teenage Tesah is played by GREC student Emma Douglas, who did a great job singing and playing and also showed the depth of character as Tesah deals with her parents marriage disintegrating, her mothers breakdown, and the transition from seasonal resident to high school student in small town. Kids do a lot of growing up between grade 9 and grade 12, and Douglas did very well showing the effects of that on Tesah.

Kora Kamps Sissons, who teaches at North Addington Education Centre, plays Tesah at age 18, the crucial period in her life when her mother Mrs Carter (Connie Rennebarth) suffers a break down, and the push pull between her feelings for Billy (now the custodian at the high school) and bad-boy rocker Zepper (convincingly portrayed by Tom Asselstine) are played out. Connie Rennebarth delivered a moving performance “It isn’t fun here anymore” in this section of the play, and this was followed by Kamps Sissons equally powerful performance of “Are you Still There”. Plot twists that could have strayed into melodrama were brought to life with these two performances. They were highlights of the evening.  The first act ends at the High School Prom. Tesah is there with Billy, and her music teacher, Mrs. B. played to comic effect by Marcie Asselstine, calls out “You're Pregnant”.

In Act 2 Tesah returns to the cottage, and finds, after a twist and turn or two, that her life has been waiting for her to return and take it up, which she ultimately does. There are  some convenient plot elements at play, this is not unusual for musicals, which are really all about the songs and the singers and big emotions, the 2nd Act provides Jennifer Argyle the opportunity to develop her character fully. It also provides comedic fodder for Dick Miller, Sandy Robertson and Marcie Asselstine. Derryk Monsour, who plays the adult Billy, becomes the play’s anchor, making sure everything will work out in the end.

Other performers who should be mentioned included Greg Morris (Mr. Carter) Cash Matson (Young Eddie) and Jessica Wedden (Jessie) who also performed some fiddle solos in character, Pam Giroux (Nokomis), Makenzie Drew (Macca),  Amber Asselstine (Lori), Gillian Hoffman (Julie) Sidney Drew (Danielle) Tim Drew (adult Eddy)  Carol Morris (Nana), Donna Larocque (Bar Patron) and Ken Fisher (Bar Patron).
Craig Godrey did a good job capturing the way people speak and carry themselves in this neck of the woods. The underlying issues at play, the restlessness of youth, the pressures people face in the city and in the country, are all very real.

Turtle Crossings had its flaws. A scene or two could have been trimmed and the pacing could have been quicker, but basically the production worked, no small feat for a musical in its first incarnation. The efforts of the set designer and construction team, and particularly stage manager Marc Brown, who came before and left after everyone else and made sure everything was in place, and lighting director Jeff Siamon cannot be over-stated.

Brian Robertson had the vision, and put in the effort to bring Godfrey's story to life, providing an opportunity for a new crop of talented performers to shine. Finally, a nod to Kathy Bonsal, Craig Godfrey’s sister, who put up with him, and everyone else as the play’s Producer.

It was an accomplishment for all of them.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 05 October 2016 22:29

Granite Ridge Sign Costs Covered

On Sept. 22, members of the Granite Ridge Education Centre Parents’ Council joined with administrative staff at the school to celebrate the end of a successful fundraising campaign. The parents’ council made a commitment to raise $22,000 to go along with an $11,000 commitment from the Limestone Board for an electronic sign at the front of the school.

It took 26 months to raise the money. Parents’ council members raised money at their Ladies’ Night events, through tea and coffee sales, Nevada funds, and through their share of proceeds from the annual Polar Plunge at the Frontenac Heritage Festival.

The sign provides a public face for the school and informs the school and local communities about upcoming events.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 15 June 2016 17:43

Mark Quattrocchi's 2 Year Bicycle Oddysey

When Dorothy Quattrocchi, who is originally from Sharbot Lake, made a presentation in February to elementary students at Granite Ridge Education Centre about her son Mark's two-year bicycle odyssey around the world, she promised she would ask him to stop by the school on his way through at the end of the trip.

Last Thursday, June 9, after peddling through the rain 150 kilometres from Peterborough the day before, Mark made good on the promise.

It helped that his mother had booked a room for him at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn - certainly a step up from the daily ritual of finding a place to stay or to pitch a tent in parts of the world he was visiting for the first time in his life.

In the past two years, Mark travelled north and east from the island of Hainan, in China, across China before turning south to go through India, and then north and east before crossing the Mediterranean from Italy. He then travelled due south through East Africa to Capetown, South Africa, after which he flew to Argentina and made his way northwards until he reached Rideau Ferry last Saturday, about 23 months and a shade under 35,000 kilometres after he set out on July 7, 2014.

Why did he do it? He describes it on his website oneadventureplease.com in this way: “A journey of grand proportions. One of personal designation and infatuation with our spinning world. To share and experience the road less travelled. One of the glorious unknown.”

It was not the first adventure for Mark, who had spent two years teaching English in Hainan but was looking for something different.

The trip was partly about adventure and self-discovery and partly a fund-raising campaign. The element of self-discovery was exemplified in Mark's periodic blogs from the diverse countries and communities he visited. When asked by the students at GREC which was his favourite country he did not hesitate, naming Kyrgyzstan, the second country he travelled through after a long cycle through China. He met some of the last of the world's nomadic peoples there, and was taken with the level of hospitality he received there.

“They welcome you in for ‘chai’ at any meeting and often ask you to spend the night in their home. The simple offerings mean more than just fresh bread, noodles, mutton and tea. Islamic teachings mixed with nomadic kindness is a vibrant combination. Pride and hospitality. It is the way of their world,” he wrote in his blog at the time.

The insights he gained from the Kyrgyzstanis was also captured: “Life can take us in a spaghetti bowl of lines. It is up to us to figure out which strands of life we connect with the most. To follow the lines that make ourselves and those around us feel the happiest. Life has no one set purpose, but is made up of a multitude of layers. The freedom of this reality is ours for taking. It is never too late. As terrifying as it may seem. Follow those dreams.”

The fund-raising element of the trip was based on Mark's determination to visit projects of Free the Children, a charity founded by Canadian's Craig and Marc Kielburger. He wanted to mark his visits to the projects by raising $50,000 to build schools for five different projects: in China, India, Kenya, Ecuador and Nicaragua. As his voyage was coming to an end, one of the schools was already built; three were under construction; and he was still working on raising the last few thousand dollars needed for the fifth school, in Nicaragua.

At GREC, Mark talked about his trip, what it taught him about himself and about the world, and then he asked the students if they had any questions.

Hands shot up. The questions were about the food he ate, the dangers he faced, the hardest day on his trip, the best day on his trip. There was not enough time to answer them all before he was scheduled to head over to St. James Catholic School to talk to students there.

His mother Dorothy was with him, happy to have him home safe and sound, and visibly proud of her renegade son as well.

What's next for Mark Quattrocchi?

Another adventure of one kind or another, no doubt.    

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 25 May 2016 20:26

Limestone Student Achiever Awards

The Limestone District School Board honoured 14 dedicated and compassionate young people with Limestone Student Achievers Awards for their outstanding achievements. The 2016 honorees have made significant contributions and accomplishments throughout their high school careers, both in their school and throughout the broader community. Congratulations to all recipients.

16 21 limestone adamsNick Adams - Sydenham High School

Nick Adams is a true leader, a visionary and an all-around excellent young man. He broke two school records in Track and has medalled at KASSAA and EOSSA for both cross country and track. Nick has always been a strong student academically and athletically but it’s in other, less recognized ways, that Nick truly shines. He is a modest yet effective leader at Sydenham High School. He is known for taking initiative to seek out areas that need improvement, constructing plans to address these needs and seeing these plans to successful completion. Nick is always the first choice to be the master of ceremonies for school assemblies and events and he does so with wit and charm and a commanding presence. He will happily and effectively be another student’s campaign manager in the race for Co-President of Student Council. Nick is always looking to fix problems and to help others. He is always working on plans and strategies to help those less fortunate in food drives or fundraising for Syrian Refugees. When some of our students were in an accident this year, Nick was the first one at the hospital offering support in any way he could. Nick is also an integral member of the school’s Red Cross team, which works to prevent bullying and create a positive school climate. When asked to peer tutor other students he always agrees and is the most patient, clear and empathetic teacher to his fellow students.

16 21 limestone teal

 Riley Teal - Granite Ridge Education Centre

You have all heard, “It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s Superman!” Let us introduce you to Granite Ridge Education Centre’s Superman. His name is Riley Teal and although he cannot fly, his personal qualities make him heroic to a number of people in the classroom, on the court or field, and in the community. Academically speaking, Riley excels in all subject areas. His strong work ethic propels him to the front of the class. Like Clarke Kent, his demeanour in class may seem reserved and quiet, but do not let his mild manner mislead you, as he possesses superior learning skills. Riley is very diligent with his work. He takes initiative in what he is doing and is very thorough in all of his assignments. He may not be able to leap buildings in a single bound, but he did complete an entire week’s worth of math homework in Grade 9 in one single night. Riley sets an extremely high standard for other students in his grade. When receiving their results for the OSSLT, his classmates would ask, “Was I close to Riley?” This young man has received numerous subject awards and was the recipient of the proficiency trophy in Grade 9, 10 and 11: Riley has his sights set on attaining this for Grade 12 as well. Riley is conscientious, and a creative problem-solver. He can work in any group and can bind any team. The reference to a superhero is not accidental. A spectator can easily spot Riley on the court as he wears his trademark superman socks during the volleyball and basketball games. Given the opportunity, he would wear them during soccer, track and hardball games, as he is actively involved in all aspects of athletics. Last year, he organized three-pitch softball intramurals at lunch for the secondary students. For each team, he is a dedicated and competitive player while respecting the rules and players of the game. He is extremely coachable, winning four coach’s awards during his three years as a Gryphon. He leads by example on the court and on the field. His leadership skills extend beyond athletics and encompass the entire school and community. Riley is an active and dedicated member of the District #4 Recreation Committee and a dependable participant/volunteer for the Relay for Life. He has submitted over 200 community volunteer hours.

16 21 limestone tryon

Andre Tryon - North Addington Education Centre

At North Addington Education Centre, we are fortunate enough to watch as small children grow into capable young adults prepared to face the future. Andre Tryon is a wonderful example of our good fortune. If there is something happening at NAEC, you can expect to find Andre working behind the scenes or upfront directing the action. As a leader and a role model, Andre’s experiences are far-reaching—literally. Last year, Andre became interested in an exchange with a student from Italy. Andre had to take an extra course load last year to ensure he would graduate this year; he did this with no reservation. While Illya visited Canada, Andre was a wonderful ambassador, and while on exchange, Andre shared his experiences in a weekly on-line forum with our Writers’ Craft class—this became a valuable learning experience for everyone. In the area of athletics, Andre has not only shown himself as a skilled and recognized hockey player outside of school, he is also a hard-working, capable athlete on the volleyball court where, this year, he served as our captain. In addition to his own skills, he is committed to helping provide athletic opportunities for others. Andre helps organize a weekly volleyball evening so students can be active all year, and led a lunchtime program aimed at developing athletes in the elementary part of our school. Oftentimes, Andre would play alongside our young athletes as he modelled good sportsmanship, a positive attitude and a genuine commitment to having fun. Andre is also committed to our school as a whole. This year, he is co-president of our students’ council; last year he was the council’s vice president. Andre often makes us wonder how he finds time and energy for everything. His work with our local volunteer fire department has led him to participate in numerous courses and certifications. This, in addition to school, athletics and a part-time job make Andre a very busy young man. Andre’s efforts are not limited to helping others. He has maintained a high academic average throughout high school and has been recognized with numerous proficiency awards. Andre has also participated in the Limestone Skills Competition. His gold medal win in Kingston allowed him to represent Limestone at the provincial level. The scope of his abilities is almost limitless.

Published in General Interest
Wednesday, 25 May 2016 20:03

Tribute Artist returns to Sharbot Lake

On Friday June 10, Tribute Artist, Stephen Goodberry will return to Sharbot Lake for his Tribute to the Legends Show at Granite Ridge Education Centre. Stephen will perform hits by Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison and his very popular Elvis Tribute show. The award winning tribute artist is once again returning to his roots as he grew up in Parham and is a graduate of Sharbot Lake High School. The event will begin at 7pm at Granite Ridge Education Centre and there will be a silent auction and door prizes throughout the evening. Tickets are $20 per person and all proceeds go to the Canadian Diabetes Association and Granite Ridge School Council.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 11 May 2016 19:10

GREC’S Got Talent!

On May 5, Granite Ridge Education Centre held its annual talent show, GREC's Got Talent.

The auditorium was packed with parents and family waiting to see what the students had to offer this year, and they were not disappointed.

The room was abuzz when the pie auction started the evening. Auction numbers were raised to bid on cakes, pies and goodies donated by parents and students, with all proceeds going to the Grade 8 grad trip to Montreal. The top three cakes were auctioned off for $55 each.

The students were then introduced one at a time by emcees Tyee David and Leah Neumann. In the audience, you could pick out the parents as they sang along, followed the dance moves and focused intently on the stage, most likely after many evenings helping with practices.

Honey Wilson, who was one of the youngest performers at only six years old, bravely took the stage by herself and sang “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”.

Grade 12 student, Devon Scott, was one of the older students to show off his talent. He has been studying dance for nine years and left the audience awestruck with his stunning original dance routine.

Riley Merrigan covered George Jones' “He Stopped Loving Her Today” with a stage presence and voice of an old country soul. Riley told the audience about the importance of his guitar, which was custom-made by his uncle, who is now 88 years old.

The Young Choristers brought a calm beauty to the night, singing three First Nations songs, led by Lily Legacy-Zierer. First was Nissa, a song honouring Grandmother Moon, then a Cherokee Morning Song, and finally the Cedar Song.

The Vocal Ensemble showed a unique approach to rhythm and song, using their own and each other’s hands and bodies in perfect synchronization while singing the Pentatonix version of “White Winter Hymnal” by Fleet Foxes.

The evening was full of amazing vocalists and dance numbers that had the audience cheering and clapping. The show ended with a lovely cover of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude”, performed by various staff and Lukas Reynolds on bass.

The support of GREC staff members Kelly Caravan, Julia Schall and Kathy Reynolds could be seen throughout the evening. Ms. Caravan took to the stage with many of the students and Ms. Schall helped them remember their cues and kept the evening running smoothly. Shaun Savoie helped out by running the auction and then taking on the soundboard, focusing on helping the students shine, and they all did.

The evening raised $1,100 and undoubtedly next year will not fail to live up to this year’s entertainment standards.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 04 May 2016 20:24

GREC's new Fit Club

Students at the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake have been staying late after school to have fun and get fit thanks to the Granite Ridge Fit Club.

The club, which is new at the school this year, was initiated by Grade 8 teacher Ms. Schall. She said the impetus to start the club was initially personal. “I have a tendency to put work ahead of my physical well-being. So as a New Year’s resolution back in January, I decided that a few days a week, before I start doing the end of the day classroom work, I would get a bit of cardio-vascular exercise and strength training in before sitting back down at my desk. The students noticed what I was doing and wanted to join in so I decided to start this after-school fitness club,” she said.

The club, which is open to students from Grades six through eight, is proving that getting fit can be a lot of fun. “It's great for me,” Schall said, “because the students are a huge motivator and they themselves have become unstoppable. If they could, they would probably be here every day working out.”

The group usually starts out with a 20-minute cardio-vascular work out. In the winter they ran laps of the school stairs but recently have taken to running outdoors. They then meet back in the school’s power fit room, which is equipped with numerous weights and bars, and the workout continues with the students choosing from a number of exercises that strengthen their arms, legs, shoulders, backs, core and more. They alternate weeks doing light, medium and heavy workouts and Fit Club member Liam brings the music.

The students’ flushed faces speak to their dedication and enthusiasm – clearly for them, getting fit need not be a chore. Many of them say they have noticed a big change in their fitness levels since January.

Ryleigh, who is a Grade 8 student said, “When I first started in January I could only squat the bar, which is 45 pounds, and now I can squat 100 pounds.” Desiree said that formerly she could run just 200 metres and thought she may have had asthma; however she is now running over two kilometres. Liam said, “What's the point of going home and watching TV when you can come and hang out with your friends and get fit at the same time?”

Grade 7 student Icen agreed.

Schall said there is a core group of between 7 to 10 students currently in the club, which runs three times a week, with one girls only session, one boys only session, and a third co-ed session. Schall said the students came up with the idea of getting special shirts made for members who have participated in at least 10 sessions. The shirts name the club and member and are emblazoned with the logo, “We do it for the six pack”, a mantra the group chanted while trying to hold a very long eight-minute plank pose.

“It's not just about the six pack”, Schall said. “It's more about becoming fit and stronger, and more confident and the biggest motivator for the students is seeing the progress they are making.”

Schall said the club is something she plans to keep up and said it is not only a great way for her and the students to bond but is also a great social and athletic opportunity for the students at the school.

Students interested in joining the club can speak to Ms. Schall.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 27 April 2016 18:51

GREC's Got Talent

A dinner and K-12 talent show will be held at Granite Ridge Education Centre on Thursday, May 5. The chicken dinner will start at 5:30pm and a vegetarian entrée is also available. There will be a pie/cake dessert auction at 6:30, and the talent show starts at 7pm. Dinner is $10 for adults, $5 for kids; five years & under free, and reservations must be made for the dinner. The talent show only is $3 and you can pay at the door. The show will feature musicians, vocalists, songwriters, storytellers, dancers and others. Proceeds from the event will support the grade 8 grad trip and the parent council. Call GREC at 613-279-2131 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve for dinner or for more details.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

The turnaround was pretty quick at Granite Ridge Education Centre last month. Principal Heather Highet, who oversaw the construction of the new school and remained at the helm for two years after it opened, found out in January that she would be moving to Bayridge High School in Kingston for the second semester of the 2015 - 2016 school year.

In her place, the Limestone District School Board decided to install the school's vice-principal, James McDonald, as acting principal until the end of the school year, when he may become the school's principal on a full-time basis.

For McDonald the new role is his fourth in the so-called northern reaches of the Limestone board. He taught at Clarendon Central in Plevna for six years when he first came to the board, then worked as vice-principal with Emily Yanch at Hinchinbrooke and Land O'Lakes Public Schools. When Hinchinbrooke and Sharbot Lake public and high schools were closed, and Granite Ridge was opened he became the new vice-principal.

“Heather and I worked on the direction of the school,” he said last week in an interview at his office. “Our school goals haven't changed: increase literacy, increase math skills and student engagement. These are fairly standard and important goals.”

There are mechanisms to evaluate progress that the school uses, such as report cards and province-wide EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability) testing to evaluate literacy and math skills in students, and Granite Ridge also employs other benchmarks to monitor student progress in these areas.

As well, beyond measuring and teaching skills, Granite Ridge has been working at creating a culture of reading in the school.

“GREC Reads is a program where at a certain time in the school day, every one of the students, from K-12, spends 20 minutes reading. Students get a wide variety of choice; the idea is for them to read out of interest. The program culminates in a book talk. As the program has developed, there has been a remarkable increase in our students just reading for the love of it, and some have indicated a connection between their interest reading and required reading,” McDonald said.

There are also reading groups in the school, which are designed to help students work on specific skills together, with the help of trained staff.

McDonald said that in terms of administrative style he prefers to use a collaborative rather than a top-down approach. “I see myself working with the teachers and staff here, not over them in any way. We all have different roles, of course, and I am adjusting to my new role. There is a great deal of expertise in this building; it is really truly phenomenal. My role is to foster that, to provide the circumstance to make it all come together.”

One example of teacher innovation comes from grade 3/4 teacher, Scott Flegal. Flegal has his students working with a tablet-based app called “explain everything”, which enriches all the material they access on their tablets with a click through to a wealth of background material.

Flegal's classroom is also unusual, almost borrowing a page from surrealist artists. The desks are there; there is a bank of computers by the window and the walls are covered with charts and student art and posters. Everything looks just like a busy grade 2 class, except that in place of chairs there are large blue balls. “The students sit on the balls instead of chairs so they are able to rock, to move their body while staying in place. It's something that has been tried elsewhere. Mr. Flegal wanted to try it in his class and he has had some success. We went to the school council for some funding and we found the rest in our own budget.”

Some of the older students have been involved in the development of an aquaculture project using the two ponds on the school property, and there have been a number of initiatives directed at providing opportunities for elementary and secondary students to learn together.

“It all comes down to building a school community,” said McDonald. “When we all came together we were having to develop a brand new culture of learning here, based on the needs of the students and a collaborative approach by staff. When Sharbot Lake High School was here there was a sense of family. Everyone talked about it, and that's something we have been building on now that we are Granite Ridge.”

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 10 February 2016 17:29

Creative Players Program flourishes at GREC

Shari Tallon knows well the many benefits that youngsters experience when given the opportunity to express themselves creatively in a safe and nurturing environment. Tallon, who is a musician and music teacher, was a former children's entertainer and educational assistant at Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake. With that in mind, she began a special after-school program there this year, which invites students to engage in the dramatic arts.

The program is funded by a grant from Marcel Giroux of W.A. Robinson Asset Management and the Sharbot Lake Pharmacy, and is now in its second installment. It focuses on dynamic, improvisational dramatic play rather than a structured dramatic process. The students are given an opportunity to explore their own creativity while interacting with others, and to express their inner personae without fear of being judged. The experience allows the students to share their ideas, to take risks and develop friendships; to improve their social skills and academics while gaining the acceptance of their peers.

The program encourages the participants to find their own voice through exploring the dramatic arts, media technology, sound effects, and music in a truly spontaneous and collaborative environment. Tallon is a firm believer in the benefits of free-form creative play, something she says is becoming rare in our increasingly structured world, where youngsters are not often enough given the opportunity to let their imaginations run wild. “When you think about school and after-school programs these days, there are not a lot of unstructured programs. This program is open-ended and kids can initiate expressive communication and play in a safe, open, and caring environment. When you offer kids creativity, it is not only fun for them, but through role playing and playing off of others, the students learn problem-solving and social skills. This helps build an inner strength that they can take with them out into the world.”

Similarly, Tallon stressed the positive mental health benefits of this kind of program. “I believe this program is great for kids' mental health because students can express themselves outwardly in a positive way instead of keeping their thoughts inside.” She has witnessed some students who, since joining the program, have slowly come out of their shells. “I have seen some students who, in the beginning, have perhaps concentrated mainly on doing sound effects but as we continued on, have begun to act out roles totally from their own volition. The key here is that students feel they have a safe place to be themselves.”

At each class, the students begin by agreeing on a scenario, which often revolves around a theme like comedy, murder mystery, or fantasy; however, each is given the opportunity to respond and add their own ideas into the mix.

The program also encourages the participants to organize themselves since they have to remember cues, record sound effects, play musical accompaniment and/or film videos of their creations. Currently, the students have been filming their scenarios, which has opened up a whole new world to them. There are plans to start a YouTube channel where the students will share the work they've been doing.

Two assistants in the program, Michelle McCumber and Tabitha Freeman, are also planning to put together a newsletter to keep fans updated on the program's progress.

Some parents of the students said they have seen their children gain confidence since joining the program and, not surprisingly, the students themselves also had good things to say. Will, who is in Grade 7, said he has lots of fun and often plans and writes his ideas at home before coming to school. Draven said that the program “is a once in a lifetime opportunity” and something that he really loves to do. Grade 9 student Aurora said that she loves being able to explore different styles of acting and play multiple characters. “Playing different roles really teaches you empathy, since you have to really think about and try to feel what it would be like to be that person.”

Tallon said she hopes members of the community will also get involved with the program and is hoping to encourage a few volunteers to offer their time. She is also in need of donations, which could include healthy snacks and/or costumes, wigs and props. Anyone who may have something to offer can contact Shari at 613-876-0293.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
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With the participation of the Government of Canada