The Parents' Association is proud to support the mission of the school. The Cultural Enrichment Program complements the quality of the education provided at Chase and further enhances the school’s unique educational experience with cultural activities which encompass the academic and social development of students. These programs are in addition to those ordinarily included in the academic curriculum and particular attention is given to the arts, sciences and humanities.
2012-2013 Cultural Enrichment
January, 2013
Lower School students experienced “Liberty Belles,” meeting women who came to the United States from all parts of the world: Russia, Italy, China and Latin America. They brought with them to America their knowledge of the old and their hope for the new. The performances were part of theLiving History Programcreated by Anne Pasquale.
Those People: Holocaust Lessons for a Bully Free World
This is a Holocaust program that transforms this frequently inaccessible topic into a relevant and immediate experience for audiences of all ages. The audience is allowed to examine socially relevant real-life racist situations – both as they occur in present day office and school settings, and as they occurred in Germany in 1937-38. http://www.livinghistoryprograms.com/those_people.html
Children’s Author MW Penn
Chase Collegiate’s Parents’ Association hosted children’s author MW Penn. Penn writes stories and poetry for young children to introduce them to the seminal ideas of mathematics. Penn’s goal is to bring the literature and math together and make learning fun. She says: “Too often we associate mathematics with computation alone. Computation is an important part of math, but math encompasses so much more: problem solving; number; pattern; order; measurement; spatial relationships; symmetry. In addition, statistics, data analysis and graphing – tools necessary to remain informed citizens of a democracy – are part of its broad scope.”
Phillis Wheatley: Black Poet of Boston
February 4, 2013 - Middle and Upper School
"I was born free and I died free. In between, I was a slave.” Captured as a child in her native Gambia, West Africa, Phillis is brought to America and sold to a well-to-do Boston tailor, John Wheatley. The Wheatleys treat Phillis with kindness and encourage her gift of writing poetry. http://yaconn.org/ya-artists/4656/history-alive
African Drumming - Drumming About You
March 22, 2013
All School
Through the use of a spoken language-based conducting method, Bob Bloom leads interactive drumming programs at which entire schools, pre-kindergarten to grade 12, can participate hands-on with a diversity of percussion instruments. http://yaconn.org/ya-artists/4661/bob-bloom-2012
Below is a list of previous events.
Racjna Agrawal (K – 8)
Dramatic Kathak is a North Indian classical dance which originated more than 2000 years ago as a temple dance. Technical aspects of Kathak consist of intensive footwork and a variety of spins. The main attraction of Kathak is the improvisation of complex metrical cross rhythms and syllables.
Ginga Brasileira / Dances of Brazil (Grades K-12)
This professional ensemble perform a colorful, crowd-pleasing repertoire of Afro-Brazilian dances that fuse rhythmic music with high-energy gymnastics and martial arts. The ensemble performs Capoeira, a martial art dance form developed in Brazil by 16th-Century slaves that is punctuated by fast footwork, daring leaps, and split second timing. Also featured are Maculele, a stick dance created by African slaves working on Brazilian sugarcane plantations, and Samba, Brazil’s national dance.
Collective Consciousness Theater (Grades 9-12)
Shakespeare Remix – Theatre games, acting exercises, and movement. Students plan and perform Shakespearean monologues. Students write and share Shakespeare- inspired hip hop scenes. Welcome to Collective Consciousness Theatre. We are a 501c3 non-profit arts organization established in 2001 by Dexter J. Singleton and Liz Stanley. Our first production, Little Brother, was originally performed in NYC at Off-Off Broadway’s Theatre 1050. To get the word out on our new show, we decided to do a two evening run at the Little Theater in New Haven, CT. From the buzz created those nights, we were asked to do a short school tour. We loved it and the rest, as they say…is history!
(Above) October, 2011 - Author Peter Howe visits with students and answers questions about characters in his books.
Examples of previous PA Sponsored Cultural Arts Events include:
Stuart Murphy, author of a 24 book series called MathStart, visited with students from pre-kindergarten through third grade
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company The five-dancer program introduced the Chinese dance tradition, involved students in participatory activities and enticed them to learn about the language and life of China’s 5,000-year-old culture.
A Passion for Justice: The Prudence Crandall Story A dramatic one-woman play that brings to life Prudence Crandall, Connecticut’s State Heroine, who took a stand for the rights of others and and thereby furthered the causes of education, freedom, and equality. The play was followed by discussions with the Anti-defamation League for Upper and Middle School students.
Hero Art - Rob Surrette of Andover, Massachusettsis an artist who creates portraits of famous people and using his hands and paint. He speed paints seven gigantic portraits in 2-5 minutes each, combining his art with a multi-media screen performance, and messages that are important for children.
The Yale Whiffenpoofs, the oldest collegiate a cappella group, performed a concert at at the Fulkerson Arts Center.Founded in 1909, the "Whiffs" began as a senior quartet that met for weekly concerts . Today, the group has become one of Yale's most celebrated traditions, playing concerts all over the country and world.
To submit a request for a cultural enrichment event, please click here.
As a general rule the Parents Association will have a representative for the Cultural Enrichment Program assigned to each of the three divisions. The representative shall be responsible for working with faculty and staff, with the consent of the school head, to identify and procure programs that are deemed valuable for all students.
Lower School students experienced “Liberty Belles,” meeting women who came to the United States from all parts of the world: Russia, Italy, China and Latin America. They brought with them to America their knowledge of the old and their hope for the new. The performances were part of the
(Above) October, 2011 - 
© 2013 Chase Collegiate School