A new unit of art in Omega focuses on the American artist Alexander Calder. The boys are learning about the life, methods, and artworks of the famous sculptor, while also embarking on their own artistic journey to create personal artwork informed by their close looking and inquiry.

On Thursday, April 18 the class visited The Whitney Museum of American Art where they explored various works by Alexander Calder (including the museum's permanent display of Calder's famous Circus installation), Louise Nevelson, and Lee Krasner. At each stop, the boys had the opportunity to do different art activities - sketching, art sticks, and pipe cleaner circus sculptures - inspired by the works.

Through a collaboration with Level Up Village, our boys will participate in a global artist exchange, where they will collaborate with students from a school in Argentina. Through asynchronous video exchanges, the boys will share their knowledge about Calder and receive similar videos from the students in Argentina about an artist native to their country. "We look forward to helping the boys embark on this global exchange and thrive in an interconnected world," said Art Teacher Melanie Fidler, who developed the unit through a curriculum professional development grant. 

Our third graders' production of Three Fractured Fairy Tales (The True Tale of the Big Bad Wolf, The Pied Piper’s Odd Business, and Snow White and Aladdin) delighted audiences at last week's student matinee and parent performances. Not only did the boys act their hearts out, they also collaborated to cast, block, and create the scenic design. In addition, they assumed all responsibilities for setting and striking the stage. 

Upper School boys enjoyed a special workshop with visiting author Gordon Korman last week in the school's theater. The author of over 100 books for children and teens, Gordon has been publishing fiction since he was just a child himself -- he wrote his first book in the seventh grade! The boys loved hearing that story, and enjoyed hearing Gordon talk about where all his ideas come from and what the process of writing his novels is like. Several boys stayed after the book signing to receive writing advice.

The Visiting Authors Series is hosted and funded by the PA Visiting Authors Committee in collaboration with Saint David's Upper and Lower School Librarians.