Local school’s work posted for world to see
BUREAU — The names are thumb-tacked to the screen.
“On Location: Denver, Colorado”
Portland, Oregon
Sacramento, California
Bureau, Illinois?
The Kennedy Center has officially posted the videos from the 2009-10 On Location program for the world to see.
According to the e-mail announcing the posting of the videos, “We are excited to share these videos, as it offers the opportunity to exhibit your accomplishments through the On Location program and beyond.
The tiny Leepertown School District was one of 10 schools chosen across the country to be part of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ On Location program. The program is designed to allow students the opportunity to produce a documentary telling the story of an arts organization or artist in their community.
The Kennedy Center’s big yellow bus rolled into Bureau in March and left three weeks later, having turned a group of third- through eighth-graders into interviewers, cameramen, grips and boom operators.”
The program brought two media teaching artists to Leepertown for 13 days to teach the students how to produce a documentary telling the story of an arts organization in their community. In Leepertown’s case, that meant Dexter Brigham of Festival 56.
Hours and hours of interviews were finally cut down to a five-minute video, which is now posted at www.artsedge.org/onlocation/showcase_locations.html.
Leepertown Superintendent Amber Harper said the finished product showcased the work of the students.
“Promoting the integration of 21st century skills, taking children beyond their ability to perform on a standardized test, and stimulating creativity are goals we work towards at Leepertown,” Harper said. “The Kennedy Center Artists wrapped these up and delivered them in a hands-on curriculum that dramatically increased the self esteem of our students providing a once in a lifetime learning opportunity for our students, staff and community.”
Harper said the project deeply engaged the children in learning.
“From the first day as they timidly met the artists with suspicion believing the artists would do all the work, and they would watch, until the final cut,” she said.
Harper said she was “in awe” of the project, and many of the students felt the same way.
“I was proud because it was the first video we ever made,” student Ivy Klemencic said.
“We put a lot of effort in making the video of Festival 56, and it was excellent,” Alex McCann added.
There was some disappointment. Harper said most of the footage ended up being cut, and the end result was very narrowly focused.
“I wish we could have had more about Festival 56 and more about how it started, but it had to be short,” Morganne Moreno said.
Classmate Megan Sharp would have liked to have interviewed some of the other people involved.
“Their experiences would have given more detail, and from Dexter, we learned that tons of people worked to start Festival 56,” she said.
Katie Burkman, another classmate, wished for more time.
“We had so much recorded and not enough time to put in all the details and history,” she said.
Harper said the project really got the students excited about the history of Festival 56 and all the individuals who make it happen.
And from the other side of the camera, Laura Brigham said she knew her husband loved the experience.
“Watching the kids come alive during this project was exciting,” she said. “It made Dexter and me happy to see these kids work at such an impressive level on something that mattered so much to them. In fact, in a time when kids are blasé about everything, it made me happy to see them let it matter.”
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