Performing Arts

A Festively Fun Ride: Once Upon a Mattress Tickets On Sale Now!

In a kingdom far, far away — and nowhere near Camelot, Shrek’s swamp or Santa Cruz — lives a king that is struck dumb, wizards past their prime, court jesters, battling sibling minstrels and a score of proper knights and ladies, all characters in the zany and festively fun ride that is Once Upon a Mattress .

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Moral Heroes: Third Graders Research Inspiring Individuals

‘ It does not require many words to speak the truth .’
 
This statement, attributed to Native American elder, In-mut-too-yah-lat-lat [Thunder Rolling Down the Mountain] or Chief Joseph, was chosen by third grader Luc Mattern to include in his Moral Hero study of the historic Nez Perce leader.
 
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Balinese Guest Artist Teaches Master Dance Class

The middle school was honored by a second guest teacher for the middle school master class series in dance. I Gede Oka Artha Negara (also known as ‘Oka’) brought costumes and music to share Balinese dance with our students. I’ve included his biography below. Balinese dance is an impactful and disciplined style of dance that includes gorgeous costume work. Saki, the middle school dance teacher, invited and arranged Oka’s visit.

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Physics in Motion: Students Design “Newton Vehicles”

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction , Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion formalized in his 1687 tome  Philosophi’ Naturalis Principia Mathematica ( Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy ), has intrigued scientists and curious students ever since — and was the inspiration for a recent Mount Madonna middle school physics proj

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Djembe, Dance and Song: Students Learn from Senegalese Artists

While her husband M’bor beat an energetic rhythm on his Senegalese d’jembe drum, Oumou Faye, garbed in colorful clothing from her west African homeland, wasted no time in arranging a group of Mount Madonna School (MMS) middle school students in rows to teach them lyrics and a series of choreographed movements for the KouKou dance.
 
Watching the students learn the movements (and at times joining his father to beat a drum) was the couple’s youngest ch

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