The HOT Corner
By Nancy Fishell
HOT School Site Coordinator
John Lyman School is a network HOT School. That means we have been
part of the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism's HOT School
program for over five years. As a network school we have access to resident
artists and are provided with many opportunities for professional growth. We
also serve as a mentor school for those new to the program.
As a HOT school we believe that strong arts will increase our students
expressive vocabulary. Our program will give them the tools to communicate
and learn through their strongest intelligence's, and to do so with
confidence. Arts integration is the key to our goals of problem solving and
flexible thinking. Learning to see and use interconnections helps make
learning easier. Democratic practice in the form of class constitutions,
school senate or simply voting on the name of a story character creates a
school environment in which we are all invested.
We have an exciting group of visiting artists this year with all of
our residencies happening during the fall…
Leslie Bulion read all the time when she was a girl, and still does. She now
writes children’s books. She visited East Africa in 1998 where she took
hundreds of photographs, and wrote down all of her experiences in a journal.
When she returned home she wrote the book Fatuma’s New Cloth. Other books
she has written include, HEY THERE, STINK BUG! In which each poem details an
insect's diabolical doings in a different form of poetry, and Uncharted
Waters an adventure story set in the Rhode Island Coastal Salt Ponds. She
has also written lots of essays and articles for adults in magazines and on
the Internet. She now spends most of her time writing books and stories for
children. She is working with three third and fourth grade classes using her
book Hey There, Sink Bug! The book is being used as a starting point for
students to write their own poems. This residency supports curriculum in
literacy, writing and science through the study of insects.
Derron Wood specializes in theatre games, acting, directing, puppetry, mask
making, social issue theatre. He is founder of the Flock Theatre in New
London, a professional, not-for-profit theatre company committed to working
with any community into which they are invited and through original,
collaborative and educational efforts, to find the theatre that best suits
the needs of that community. Derron has worked with us before and we really
enjoy his enthusiasm and energy. He is presently working with four first and
second grade classes creating puppets to act out Eric Carl’s A House for
Hermit Crab, and Swimmy by Leo Leonni. This residency supports curriculum in
literacy, writing and connects to our science curriculum through ocean
studies.
Brian specializes in swing dance, ballroom dance, robotics, clogging,
American heritage dances, creative movement, and principals of choreography.
He is also a songwriter, musician and historian who makes music do-able.
Brian navigates the way through American history as it molded and was molded
by the progression of popular music. As a long-time international performer,
dance educator and choreographer, Brian has been offering dance workshops
and assembly programs through Young Audiences of CT since 1983, and was
their Performance Artist of the Year in 1999. Brian will be working with
four of our third and fourth grade classes using Hip Hop to create songs and
dances. While using a completely different approach he will also be using
use poetry as connection. His work again addresses our literary and writing
curriculums.
Specializes in creative dance education and movement experiences. As the
director of Children's Dance Center at the Lyman Allyn Museum, New London,
she runs programs in creative dance relating to children's literature,
language, writing, journals or other focused areas of curriculum.
Choreography and improvisation skills are all part of her work. She will be
working with the remaining first and second grade classes on creating ocean
dances. This again connects to their science curriculum study of the oceans.
Derron Wood, Leslie Bullion and Brian Gillie are working with us now. Each
visiting artist brings a different approach that enlivens and enhances the
learning experience here at John Lyman School. These experiences are
supported through our HOT School participation and the diligent and
overwhelming support of the JLPA.
