By Marc Glazer
Children’s Theater of Madison
Children’s Theater of Madison (CTM) has formally adopted Gompers Elementary School through the Madison Public Schools Foundation’s Adopt-a-School Program. Building on the company’s deep connection to the Madison Metropolitan School District (MMSD) community through their Student Matinees and Young Playwrights program, CTM’s Education Department will partner with the teaching staff at Gompers to create and sustain an ongoing arts residency program.
The Adopt-a-School program acts as a bridge between schools and nonprofit and commercial businesses and civic organizations. Adopt-a-School partners share time, talents and experiences with students, staff and teachers to enhance the educational experience.
CTM worked with Mary Bartzen, community partnerships director with the Madison Public Schools Foundation, to identify Title I elementary schools seeking a community partner in the arts, which is when Gompers was named as a possibility. A core tenet of the Adopt-a-School partnership is for partners to work closely with school leadership to identify strategic opportunities in support of the School Improvement Plans (SIPs).
CTM’s education team worked collaboratively with Maixia Thao, principal of Gompers, to ensure that CTM’s mission, values and offerings would work well within the school’s established curriculum and SIP. As Thao noted, “We wanted a partnership that was meaningful, collaborative and supportive of the genius that already exists at CTM and Gompers.”
The Gompers educators and administration feel that putting a theater lens on the curriculum could further engage students. This approach will also enhance teacher capacity, in accordance with the Gompers model of continually looking at new ways of learning, teaching and growing.
Thao acknowledged that “this would be a more intentional and meaningful way to leverage the arts,” and together with CTM, found curricular activities for the teachers to incorporate into their well-established lesson plans.
“The Gompers educators were immediately on board and had ideas on how to integrate the arts into aspects of their grade level’s curriculum,” said Erica Berman Thompson, CTM director of education. “One of our first residencies was a process drama with the entire second grade, where they transformed into a group of paleontologists on a dig site, using theater as a tool to teach science.”
Everything introduced this year can be carried forward with the curriculum in the future as well. “The true underlying desire is to build staff capacity, create stability, and further sustainability,” added Thao. “With this partnership, not only will Gompers be able to provide unique and engaging learning experiences for our scholars, but instructional staff will also be able to develop skills and increase creativity with their instruction.”
Bartzen had this to say: “This partnership could be the epitome of arts integration at the elementary level: using the arts as a tool for learning. Wouldn’t it be great if, thanks to this partnership, Gompers’ lasting identity is “The Arts”?
Over the course of this academic year, CTM will provide arts-integrated learning experiences at every grade level, to every student at Gompers. Berman Thompson said, “CTM and Gompers are both committed to providing arts in education opportunities for scholars. We at CTM have felt so welcomed into the greater Gompers community and look forward to this new and exciting partnership.”
