We are a middle school in NYC DOE's District 75 program (self-contained schools for students with disabilities), located in Corona Queens. We are housed within a larger, general education middle school and often collaborate with the general education community. We are a close knit, largely Spanish-speaking community, where everyone works to help one another. Our motto, "Positivity is Power", is one we truly live by. Our students are energetic, creative and enthusiastic but face a lot of challenges adapting in academic and social settings.
In our school community all of our students get a chance to shine through our Theater and Arts program.
Whether it be through performance, theater-making, or behind the scenes work, all of our students are involved and included in every production. They love expressing themselves through singing, dancing, and art. Even when they need lots of additional support, our students never give up and always try their best to put on a spectacular performance for the school and community.
My Project
"Come with me and you'll be in a world of pure imagination!" This year we are performing "Willy Wonka Kids" for our end of year show in May, and everyone is so excited to recreate the magical, edible world of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory on our very own stage. We've got the golden ticket and now our students need help to bring their vision to life!
Our students work hard throughout the year to prepare for the show, memorizing dialogue and choreography, designing sets, crafting props, and making costumes.
While a majority of the work is created with found materials and pure imagination, there are some characters who require a uniform look, like the Oompa Loompas, in order to match the aesthetic vision our performers have created.
These clothing items, such as white shorts, suspenders, green knee socks, orange tee-shirts, and green hats, will transform our students from kids acting on stage into Oompa Loompas, guarding the secrets of the factory and cleaning up after the naughty children! And speaking of the naughty children - our Veruca needs her signature red dress, Violet her purple garb from head to toe, and Mr. Gloop his leiderhosen. All of these items have been hand picked by our students as they create their storyboards of how the final project should look.
Our theater program works with our students to increase competency in literacy, fluency, spatial relations/math skills, social skills, and boosts school morale. A successful show translates to confident and productive members of our school community and our community at large. Please help us bring our vision to fruition, and make sure we look fiiiine doing it! Thank you so much for your contribution!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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