March 21, 2001
School week gets Intense
Staging play, Appalachian Trail hike part of activities
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
All week, a group of students at Traverse Bay Community School are learning the ins and outs of putting on a play. From costumes to props to rehearsals to opening night jitters, students will spend all day, every day this week preparing for the production.
Play production is just one option available during the school's annual spring Intensive Week. Other options for students include making a quilt, the basics of first aid and learning about clay and pottery.
But for students putting on the musical, "Annie," the week will fly by as they master dialog and songs, juggle costumes and props and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Despite the challenges of putting on a play in a week, the students saw numerous benefits.
"This teaches you self-confidence because you have to sing and dance in front of an audience," said Troy McLeish, eighth grade.
Some students signed up for the play despite their fear of being on stage, hoping to overcome their shyness.
"Being here helped me get over my stage fright," said Elizabeth Pixley, sixth grade. "This is little but doing it helps you prepare for other big stuff in life you have to do."
Spending one solid week on one subject allows students at the school to delve deeply into the subject of their choice. The Intensive Weeks are held three times during the school year and allow teachers to earmark a complete week for one topic.
One of the goals of the Intensive weeks is to give students a real-life look at a profession, art or craft. Spending that block of time on one subject gives them a better opportunity to find out if it is something they really enjoy doing and may want to pursue.
"The week gives you a feeling of what you can do," said Erin Anderson, fifth grade. "You can decide whether or not you want to do this when you grow up."
The first Intensive Week is held in October and focuses on teambuilding among the school's villages, which are multi-age classroom groupings of students. The school's three villages are divided into kindergarten through second grades, third through fifth and sixth through eighth.
"That week gives us a chance to set those friendships," said Mae DeBruyn, a teacher in the sixth-to-eighth-grade village. "For the older kids this usually includes one night camping."
During the other two Intensive Weeks, some options allow students to work with older or younger students from other villages. For example, the production of "Annie" is open to students in third, fifth, sixth and eighth grades.
Staff and administration throw themselves into planning and preparations for each Intensive Week. The idea for Intensive Weeks dovetails with the school's philosophy and structure, said Mark Child, director of the school.
"We just felt like there were some types of learning experiences where we could devote ourselves exclusively to one area of study," he said. "The naming of it is accurate, it is an intense week for everyone."
Another spring Intensive Week option for seventh-grade students is a hiking excursion to North Carolina. Led by sixth-to-eighth village teacher Chris Post, students hike 22 miles in three days along a portion of the Appalachian Trail.
The traditional spring trip began on a whim four years ago when Post and students were brainstorming ideas for Intensive Week topics. One student suggested hiking and the idea grew from there, Post said.
"The goal of this week is survival," said Post, who this year is taking 10 students. "There are rattlesnakes and I've heard that this portion of the trail is one of the most difficult. They gain a new love of water because it is so scarce."
Besides the physical challenges of the trip, Post finds the students grow both as individuals and as a team during the trip.
"The trip provides students with an element of working together, being a team," he said.