Dear Jasper and Kestrel,
Spring has sprung, but it is also dripping, blooming, and blowing! But we are not letting that stop us. Today was the fourth grade’s walking field trip to Hartnell College to watch the children’s theater show, The Princess who Lost her Hair.
The weather was windy and cool, but 75 kids, 8 parents, and three teachers headed off from University Park School. We walked through the neighborhood to stay off Central, where the sidewalks are still being reconstructed after the trees were removed, and off West Alisal, a very busy street. Once we got to the Theater Arts building we went right in. We were the only class coming, so we had the whole theater to ourselves. We got the first through 6th rows…great seats! Every student got their own program, and most read about the actors and story before the play started.
The play was performed by 6 performers, 5 of whom were kids. It was an African folktale about a sad but vain princess who believes that her long, beautiful hair is her only source of strength. When a bird asks for a few strands for its nest, she rudely refuses and sends the bird away. The bird, being magical, causes a terrible drought in the land.
A kind beggar woman goes to find the bird and help resolve the problem, having her own adventure along the way. In the end, the Princess and the beggar woman become friends and rule the country together. It is a lovely story of the consequences of vanity and pride, and the need to be kind and respectful to everyone.There was enough music, theatrical magic and silliness in the play to be very entertaining.
As a fan of the theater, I could enjoy the play because the students were behaving so well. As a teacher, I enjoyed the fact that my students could pay respectful attention to live theater.
We got back to school without getting wet, and enjoyed the rest of the day writing about the trip and doing our mosaics.
During my afternoon, I realized that it was 5 years this week that my Momma passed away. It was that same day that I lost a dear student, Kylie Casada, to brain cancer. Momma’s memorial is her family and the flowers we grow from her garden. Kylie’s memorial is a garden at University Park, which has just this week started blooming. Heather, daffodils and a cherry tree are opening up to remind us that life is beautiful, and that it goes on.
Spring is a time of new beginnings.
Love,
Grandma Judy
