In-person assembly shows returned for the first time since before the pandemic, in two fantastic performances by Nick Newlin and Munit Mesfin at Weller Road and Wheaton Woods Elementary Schools. It was a joy to hear students singing and clapping along in person, and shouting “Vote,” and “Democracy means the people rule.” Interestingly, we refined and tightened this show during the “Zoom years,” and now it is more polished and engaging for students than ever.…
We thank Carpe Diem Arts for the opportunity to share the seven “steps to democracy” with a wonderful student group at Gaithersburg Elementary School in January and February. Highlights included a field trip to Gaithersburg City Hall, where Mayor Jud Ashman shared with students why he ran for office, how elections work, and how democracy involves “a dialogue between the people and the officials.” Students also sang their original song about telling truth from fiction, written…
This month, we welcome Trevor Schmutz to our board of directors, and Lili Leonard, of Black Dog Philanthropic Consulting, to help with fundraising and development. Trevor is a grants management specialist in D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser’s Office on Volunteerism and Partnerships. Lili has a commitment to small- and mid-sized nonprofits, and signs on thanks to a generous grant from Maryland Humanities. Welcome, Trevor and Lili!
In January, award-winning poet Malachi Byrd brought Martin Luther King’s legacy to life with a mini-residency focused on collective poetry-writing. In their poem “Dreaming of Home,” Civic Circe students in Montgomery Housing Partnership’s Community Life program wrote about their countries of origin, including El Salvador and Honduras (“land of beaches”), and their hopes for the future. Here is an excerpt: I have a dream That we all have homes That there will be no…
Teaching artists Jarrell Pittman and Marcie Wolf-Hubbard ended the Civic Circle semester on a high note. With Jarrell, students created a recording with the refrain “My voice matters, your voice matters,” and lines like “I will help people with my voice,” and “Let’s stop bullying, no hurt feelings.” With Marcie, students use collage and “burnout poetry” techniques to create civic art booklets with messages like “You have friends,” “Make it happen,” and (from Mother Teresa)…