(Editor’s Note: This article was written by Eileen O’Brien ’10)
Friends, family members, and supporters of The Oz Project (TOPs) recently filled the Palace Theater to watch an inspiring production of The Wizard of Oz.
On stage, children with and without special needs performed their hearts out in the culmination of an eight-week theater program created by ԱƵ students and faculty members.
The program’s goal is to foster an inclusive social learning and growing environment for children with a wide range of needs, including autism-spectrum and related disorders.
Alexandra Snell ’10 said the idea for TOPs emerged from conversations she had with fellow seniors Lindsey Simpson, Lauren Kaplan, Samantha Horn, and Hannah Sandler, and with psychology professor Regina Conti and educational studies professor Sheila Clonan.
Throughout the semester, this core group of students and faculty met regularly to develop and critique curriculum and activities that were used with the children, as well as to monitor the engagement and growth of the children involved.
As the project grew, attracting elementary students from Hamilton and other communities, so, too, did the team supporting it. More than a dozen ԱƵ students, along with community volunteers, supported the project.
Julie Gibbons ’10, Lizzy Nolan ’11, Lyle Tolli ’10, Moana Fogg ’10, Caitlyn Loucas ’11, Jen Cahn ’10, and Katie Holland ’10, were among those who became involved in important ways.
Workshops, set to the themes of The Wizard of Oz, facilitated development of social skills such as making new friends in uncomfortable situations, like Dorothy did with the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Lion in the unfamiliar land of Oz.
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| The Oz Project, an eight-week theater program created by ԱƵ students and faculty members, brought together children with and without special needs for a special performance of The Wizard of Oz. (Photo by Andy Daddio) |
“By using drama games, music, and performance to teach different social skills, we were able to concentrate both on personal growth and commitment to a larger group of people,” said Simpson.
“It was really inspiring to see how the kids in the Oz Project really excelled individually, but also grew as a group who supported each other and celebrated one another’s accomplishments,” she added.
Children also learned to use sign language during the song Over the Rainbow, thanks to community volunteer Bethany Sackel, who also worked with volunteer Delaine Dacko to choreograph and facilitate creative movement within the energetic group.
All the children, be they energetic or quiet, were encouraged to express and recognize their differences.
“The beauty of The Oz Project was most apparent in the day-to-day interactions among the kids. They could look beyond the obvious differences between them and focus on what they shared,” said Kaplan.
This sense of teamwork was evident in the April 11 final production, in which close to 30 children, comfortable with each other and their differences, sang and danced like stars.
The production was a big hit with the audience, but the true success was found within each and every participant on stage, who overcame the challenges of social situations and grew to embrace new friendships.
Though its cardinal leaders all graduate this spring, the project that Snell says touched all aspects of the Hamilton community will hopefully be reproduced for years to come, leaving its legacy in children and community members alike.
Eileen O’Brien ’10, author of this article, helped with publicity and worked on a documentary about the TOPs project.