Middle School Dance and Art Show

According to Dean of Boarding Life Dina Lyman, the Middle School has put on an art and dance show since the 1980s. This year, the show was held on January 15th. The sixth and seventh grade displayed the artwork they had made in the past quarter and the eighth grade performed a play.   

The show is a way that the students can show off their skills and the things they learned in Art and Dance this quarter. The eighth grade class was performing a play. The students were split into two groups; one group wrote the play, and the other group performed it. The students who did not perform this quarter will have their chance to showcase their own acting skills in the next quarter’s play. That play will be written by the actors from this quarter’s performance. 

Eighth grader Lydia Sperry, a first year student at MacDuffie, took part in the show. Sperry was one of the students that performed in the play this quarter. 

“I was excited to be in the show; it was something I never did before,” Sperry said. “We all worked hard, so I hope it went well.” 

The play was about a group of friends that crash landed on a deserted island. They had to solve riddles which lead them to a lighthouse at the end of the island. The play focused on friends working together to figure out problems. 

Assistant Dean of Boarding Lucy Tew played a big role in putting this show on. She has been helping put this show on for years, and she looks forward to it every year. 

“This is the second year that we were able to have the whole middle school perform on one night,” Tew said. “It’s a great time and has been in MacDuffie’s history for a while. 

“Visual art is something that the students don’t get to display during the year,” Tew said. “So it was great to include them.”  

Visual Arts Teacher Jena McNerney has been helping the students create art during the quarter to display at the show. McNerney wanted to give the students ideas that would make them feel confident in their ability. 

“I always want my students to enjoy creating art, but I also want my students to believe in their ability to create amazing artwork,” McNerney said. “Art is a way to show who you are and you also can make it fun at the same time.”

The dance that the students performed was called “Friendship is Like a Circle.” This dance was about loneliness the idea that friendship is about opening your circle to let people who don’t have friends in.  

Students put on a great show for their fellow classmates and parents. The second part of the middle school play will be taking place in the Spring.