Killingworth Elementary School had its 12th annual Festival of the Arts
and Sciences last Friday, May 18th. The event lasted all day, beginning
with the two opening acts of Bubblemania and dancer Adam Battelstein,
followed by four workshops led by local scientists, artists, musicians,
and firemen who volunteered their time to teach our children, and ending
with a fantastic performance by the vocal group Blue Jupiter. Sandwiched
in the middle of all this was a delicious lunch served to the over fifty
volunteer presenters, over forty volunteer parents who ran the event,
and over eighty staff members of the school. Our teachers made the salads,
parents made the desserts, Fortes Market donated a salad, and the Cooking
Company provided 150 sandwiches (not one was left).
Clearly, a lot went into organizing such an event, and many people deserve a
great deal of thanks:
- Cindy Fetteroll, the previous chairperson, who coordinated the event for many years and left behind a foundation that was strong and easy to build on.
- The core committee that started back in October making phone calls, writing letters, signing contracts, and holding meetings: Michael Becker, Assistant; Eileen Blewett, Food and Lunch Coordinator; Bini Freeman, Opening and Closing Act Coordinator; Allison Insall, Assistant; Laurie Leffingwell, Volunteer Coordinator; Michele O'Toole, Assistant; Jim Smith, Artist Extraordinaire; Dawn Tischbein, High School Liaison, and Margaret Whiteman, Person Who Knows Many and Is Always Helpful. Everyone did as much as they possibly could and offered constant encouragement. It was a great group.
- The presenters who amazed us all with their enthusiasm, generosity, and ingenuity: Chuck Annicelli brought snakes, reptiles, and knowledge galore; Annette Cook and son brought what must have been a carload of dried flowers and helped each child make their own arrangement; Christine Coyle was sent to us by the Community Music School of Ivoryton and allowed the children to try out her “picnic” cello and violin; Eric Farnsworth, a retired linesman, came from CL&P to teach electrical safety; Melissa Ferrara, because of the weather, left her alpacas at home but came to teach the children about her animals and complete a craft; James Fullmer, a meteorology professor at Southern, brought weather equipment and a telescope and itched to get outside to do a planet walk; Mary Garrelts made toothpaste and handed out glasses courtesy of Phizer; Ernie Hill demonstrated his incredible woodcarving skill; Allison Insall helped every child make a friendship bracelet for a classmate; Arnold Moore and fellow Killingworth fire fighters taught the kids about fire safety and demonstrated the jaws of life; Jeff Murray and assistant taught the kids about prosthetics and demonstrated casting on a lucky student; Paul Neri, a local lutherie, demonstrated many instruments and the tools required to build and fix them and played an amazing flamenco song; Gloria Nilsson taught first graders how to paint water color miniatures which they were very proud of; Lynn Pace saved the day by jumping in at the last minute and teaching the children sign language; Karen Pfrommer spent a day away from her dance school in Branford in order to teach our 4th and 5th graders salsa and swing dancing; Andy Pollak arrived just in time to be a student favorite teaching magic and making them roll in the aisles laughing; Edward Ricciuti, a longtime Killingworth resident and author of over 80 books, taught the kids about nature; Patti Saari completed physics experiments and discussed manipulating what you can't even see; Jeff Sasso delighted children and parents as he played guitar in the hallway between acts and then again during his presentation on different styles of music; Peg Scofield set up a photo studio and worked with 5th graders to design and shoot a surprise for the school; Chris Solimene completed dramatic exercises with students he may see next year at the middle school; Joel Spinetti, our popular music teacher, engaged children in an equally popular hand bell program; Cindy Vogt did yoga with the children; Dan Vogt, a pilot, taught the science of flight; and last, but not least, over twenty Haddam Killingworth High School students arrived by bus with Mrs. Himmelman and painted faces, juggled, and made door signs with our students.
- The forty-one parent volunteers (from Afragola to Wilson, you know who you are) that parked wherever they could, did whatever was asked of them, and added to the spirit of the day.
- The staff at KES. The custodians spent two hours cleaning the gym floor. The stage was perfect. The school looked beautiful. Also, someone had to vacuum after the dried flower arranging. The cafeteria staff had to deliver bag lunches all over the school. Lee and Mary Ann had to keep track of us all and call more than one presenter that was a little late arriving. Not to mention the fact that the yummy sandwiches were all gone by the time they took their lunch. (I owe you one.)
- The teachers who faithfully followed their schedules and offered many words of appreciation. They made salads, lent out their classrooms, skipped breaks, squeezed in lunch, and offered not one complaint.
- The students who were praised by more than one presenter on their incredible behavior. It was an exciting day, a busy day, a snackless day (we'll fix that next year), and yet they walked through the hallways, listened to presenters, waited their turn, applauded, offered thanks. We were all impressed. Our teachers should share this praise.
- Finally, the PTO. This group of parents works hard all year so that they can help the school. Their meetings may sometimes be boring, the fundraisers may sometimes seem excessive, their efforts are not always noticeable or understood. But…the money and support that they gave the Festival of the Arts and Sciences this year, and in the eleven years past, was, on Friday, May 18th, appreciated by each and every student in our school. Well done.
Now, after taking up all this space thanking everyone involved, I have to admit that I wasted your time. I think I can speak for everyone, when I say that we did not participate for this kind of thanks. We participated to hear the laughter of our kids erupting from the cafeteria as they watched a classmate encased in a bubble by Casey Carle of Bubblemania; to see the transfixed stares of the kids as they watched Adam Battelstein demonstrate locomotion through dance; to marvel at the more than one thousand hands waving frantically in the air as they all drove the "funk bus" through time with Blue Jupiter (ask your child); to watch the kids filing out to their buses with their faces painted or wearing protective glasses, or holding intricate flower arrangements or watercolor miniatures or balls of alpaca wool; to receive a big hug and thanks from a student who would normally be embarrassed by the display; to receive a letter from a student just hours later; to receive a phone call from a dad who's son talked nonstop about the day on his way home; to hear my own son and daughter talking about the day when I got home after putting all the tables back and taking all the signs down. We touched their lives and created a memory. This was the only thanks we hoped for.
Amy Kops,
Chairperson
Festival of the Arts and Sciences 2007