With summer in our rearview mirror, the gang at 826LA turns its eyes to a year of amazing school-related programming. You'll see lots going on via our cocky calendar and this, our bombastic blog. But for many of our students, the height of fun at 826LA might have been their summer writing camps. A group of middle school students in Venice tackled drama activities in their very first playwrights' circle, an outgrowth of Dogtown Books publishing. Working with professional dramatic actors produced this snippet of serious marital lows from Cesar, pictured here (right) with Cammeron (left) and Daniel (center):
"A Bout of Melancholia"
By Cesar(A restaurant just like McDonald's. 20 tables, a pinball machine, and a deep frier. There is a trash can and a TV.)
STANLEY. How now! My wife is suffering from a bout of melancholia!
(WIFE enters.)
WIFE. I am madder than a watermelon's guts.
STANLEY. It's melancholia.
WIFE. Whatever! I want to divorce.
STANLEY. Me too! And stay out of my life!
(STANLEY and his wife divorce.)
With our volunteers' help, each Venice kid got to nurture his or her own creative play concept as a Samuel French-inspired book. We're grateful to hear from dads like Cesar's, who points out now that the "confidence doing his schoolwork has improved a great deal" as Cesar comes to drop-in homework sessions. And he describes 826LA as a place where a student can be creative.
Meanwhile, the littler folk hanging around Venice got their very own afternoon reading club, with a twist: the Jon Scieszka Fan Club, devoted to all things Mr. Jon Scieszka, especially the Time Warp Trio series of chapter books. Each elementary schooler kept up a time travel story of his or her own, as well as an ongoing correspondence with Jon himself. Here's the opening quintet of articles from their club's constitution:
I. We will tell other kids about Jon Scieszka books and they can join the Fan Club at a later date by agreeing to the terms of this charter. (Everyone)
II. Respect other's ideas and opinions because being respectful is the golden rule. Raise your hand if someone is talking. (Stephanie)
III. No yelling out at once because you can't hear what everyone is saying. (Omari)
IV. No hitting. (Victoria)
V. No stealing toys from stores because it is illegal. (Tim)
Check out our website all year long to see what we've come up with next—we can't wait to tell you about the volunteer projects that give free, valuable learning opportunities to students in our communities.
