by Britney Morgan, Communications Officer
brmorgan@atlanta.k12.ga.us
This spring, Garden Hills Elementary celebrated its 20-year anniversary of the Shakespeare Residency program with an impressive performance of the classic play “Romeo and Juliet”.
The residency program introduces the works of William Shakespeare for early learning through a partnership with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival. It is completely PTA funded and offered free of charge to the students of Garden Hills.
The performance was admirable. Even more so, was the question and answer session that followed. The students were able to show how much they understood about the play and share their passion for the individual characters.
When asking students why they decided to be apart of the program the majority would respond “Because it is fun”, but according to the Shakespeare Residency Coordinator, Marie J. Andujar there are many more benefits kids gain from being involved.
“One of the best benefits gained from our Shakespeare program is early training in analytical thinking, which is one of the core objectives of an IB Education,” she said. “The ability to understand the works of William Shakespeare at such a young age will serve them well as they matriculate through our IB schools.”
With 20 rewarding years of residency, the GHES Shakespeare program has seen many of its former students go on to achieve great success.
“Most of the students who chose to involve themselves in the program while attending Garden Hills, have gone to become successful students in high school. Some have continued in acting at Sutton and North Atlanta drama departments and even college. Even if children do not continue to pursue acting, the skills gained by this experience set our children up for success no matter where their pursuits take them,” said Andujar.
The Garden Hills auditorium was filled with parents, staff, former and current students in attendance to support the Shakespeare Residency program and celebrate this amazing milestone.
Visit http://www.gardenhillselementary.com for updates and information about Garden Hills Elementary School.
