In-service day turns into a celebration of the arts
COUNCIL ROCK - The auditorium at Council Rock South High School rocked with laughter, applause and shrieks of delight. And that was just the teachers.
In what has become an annual event known as “Deep Smarts,” the districts arts departments plan, rehearse and perform for the teachers to kick off an otherwise perfunctory day of teacher development. More than 100 students voluntarily went to school on their day off to take part in the extravaganza.
“Knowing that teachers, students and administrators can come together like this is an amazing reminder of why we do what we all do,” said Council Rock School Board Vice President Kyle McKessy. “It was unbelievable. It gave me chills. What a great opportunity for these kids in the arts.”
If the reaction of those leaving the auditorium at the presentation’s conclusion could EH UVHG DV DN UNVFLHNWLfiF SROO, 0F.HVVy’V reaction was shared by all. As the hundreds of attendees poured out and prepared to return to their home schools for their in-service day, it sounded like an audience leaving a Broadway show. “Awesome.” “Unbelievable.” “Best one yet.”
It sounded more like a commercial for a blockbuster movie rather than teachers leaving a high school.
The show was a collaborative effort that included pieces provided by each of the district’s art departments, including culinary, visual, musical, theater and technological. Lynn Haden, head of the art department at Council Rock North, said preparations for the show began in September and were built DURUNG D VSHFLfiF WKHPH, wKLFK wDV “3RwHU of the Arts.”
“The idea was to show how arts affected students’ lives,” Haden said. “The arts are the heartbeat of everything they do.”
The preparation included making masks more likely to be seen at a New Orleans Mardi Gras celebration. The kids who donned the masks were charged with providing each attending teacher a small gift as they walked in. In keeping with the theme, the gifts were pieces of art created by district students.
“We had a district-wide doodle day,” explained Jim Biglin, art teacher at Council Rock North. “Each kid in the district doodled for part of a day earlier in the year.”
The presentation included a video tribute from students past and present, who lauded the school’s arts programs, describing how the lessons learned during their time at Council Rock has impacted their lives.
$ flDVK PRE wUDSSHG US WKH HxFLWHPHNW, DV musicians and dancers jammed to “Ode to Joy.”
Considering the organization, structure DNG flDwOHVV NDWUUH RI WKH SHUIRUPDNFHV, WKH planning of Deep Smarts must have been meticulous and long.
“Oh, it was,” Biglin said. “What a collaborative effort among the district’s art teachers. There was a lot of planning, a lot of rehearsing. We made everything you saw out there.” Biglin and Haden were two of a committee that was comprised of more than 10 district department coordinators.
How can the district top this year’s event, in scope, imagination or response?
“I’m not thinking about that yet,” Biglin said. “I’m just enjoying today.”