What I discovered, much to my amazement, at Benito Juarez Community Academy
I'm currently doing observations at a high school not all that far from me in the Pilsen Neighborhood. Figured I might as well go see what the actual neighborhood school for my area is like. My first day was just sort of ok. Watched the chair of the English department conduct some pretty ho-hum senior AP classes, and that was that. The next day though, he introduces me to one Mr. Pinelli, Theater Teacher. This is more exciting. He's very enthusiastic to have me around, especially in light of my theater background.
The bulk of Juarez HS is your pretty typical oldish urban school space. Its not falling apart at the seams completely, but its drab cinder block classrooms have seen better days. Mr. Pineli's classroom though, is in a shiny new wing, which just opened this year. The students in this school (like so so so many in CPS,) are 97% on free-or-reduced lunch, so this is quite a great (and long awaited) boon for them. The classrooms and hallways in this part of the school are quite attractive, and I'm pleasantly surprised.
That's not the big surprise though. Are you ready?
With his class in tow, Mr. Pineli walks me into the single most spectacular school theater space I have EVER seen or can possibly imagine. I came perilously close to shouting "HOLY SHIT!" as he takes us in from backstage. (I think I may have inadvertently mouthed it.) It is enormous. It is exquisite. Every thing about it is Brand New and State of the Art. I'm pretty sure the lightboard alone is worth more than all the equipment in Fairview's scene shop combined, plus Roz's car. I actually wrote "HOLY CRAP x10" followed by a complete line of exclamation marks in my notebook. As for what's going on in this High School Theater-to-end-all-High School Theaters, that's exciting too. With the new space open and ready for business, the school is eager to put on some plays, and that's where Mr. Pinelli comes in. This is the first year the school has ever had a drama class or a real theater space of any kind (and this theater is Beyond Real) and he was hired specifically to build things up with the students here from scratch. It's not easy, of course. Most have never read a script before, and as I learned from watching them presents scenes from Oedipus, it will take considerable work before they have the knowledge base and practical skills to produce the kind of School Play the administration wants eventually. And as he's telling me all this in his very animated-drama-teacher way, the opportunity sirens are practically screaming in my head. He's still trying to figure out what exactly he wants to try with them performance-wise this year, but he's clearly excited by the possibility of having an extra hand volunteering to help. We're still talking about it, but I am certain my involvement with Mr. Pinelli and the kids at Juarez high won't end when my observation hours do.
The bulk of Juarez HS is your pretty typical oldish urban school space. Its not falling apart at the seams completely, but its drab cinder block classrooms have seen better days. Mr. Pineli's classroom though, is in a shiny new wing, which just opened this year. The students in this school (like so so so many in CPS,) are 97% on free-or-reduced lunch, so this is quite a great (and long awaited) boon for them. The classrooms and hallways in this part of the school are quite attractive, and I'm pleasantly surprised.
That's not the big surprise though. Are you ready?
With his class in tow, Mr. Pineli walks me into the single most spectacular school theater space I have EVER seen or can possibly imagine. I came perilously close to shouting "HOLY SHIT!" as he takes us in from backstage. (I think I may have inadvertently mouthed it.) It is enormous. It is exquisite. Every thing about it is Brand New and State of the Art. I'm pretty sure the lightboard alone is worth more than all the equipment in Fairview's scene shop combined, plus Roz's car. I actually wrote "HOLY CRAP x10" followed by a complete line of exclamation marks in my notebook. As for what's going on in this High School Theater-to-end-all-High School Theaters, that's exciting too. With the new space open and ready for business, the school is eager to put on some plays, and that's where Mr. Pinelli comes in. This is the first year the school has ever had a drama class or a real theater space of any kind (and this theater is Beyond Real) and he was hired specifically to build things up with the students here from scratch. It's not easy, of course. Most have never read a script before, and as I learned from watching them presents scenes from Oedipus, it will take considerable work before they have the knowledge base and practical skills to produce the kind of School Play the administration wants eventually. And as he's telling me all this in his very animated-drama-teacher way, the opportunity sirens are practically screaming in my head. He's still trying to figure out what exactly he wants to try with them performance-wise this year, but he's clearly excited by the possibility of having an extra hand volunteering to help. We're still talking about it, but I am certain my involvement with Mr. Pinelli and the kids at Juarez high won't end when my observation hours do.