It's not over until the fat lady sings (or the Kindergarten...)

On Friday morning, the LGA community was treated to something extraordinary - the 1st ever Gan Opera. That's right, the Kindergarten at LGA has just completed their unit study of opera. Morah Amy's brother, Ken, who is an opera expert, spent two days studying opera with our Kindergarten students. From there, the opera unit took on a life of its own. The students story boarded, wrote, produced and starred in the "Enchanted Forest." Only one word comes to mind when I saw it - inspiring. It was so amazing to see how much pride the LGA Kindergarten students took in this unit.

This unit signifies so much more than the producing of the opera itself. It represents the best of how we understand how teaching at LGA should be done. Students and faculty delving deep into an area of learning and focusing their attention of every single aspect of a topic. When Morah Amy and Moreh Karl started this opera unit, they were planful in their approach to teaching. They talked about goals. They designed a unit that would teach opera appreciation. What happened was so much more. The students took the idea of an opera and ran with it. Moreh Karl helped them compose the music, and Morah Amy assisted in the writing process, but the students really took the lead.

This unit blended formal and informal learning. It inspired students to get creative, and it made our Gan class (even those too shy to perform) work together to create a stupendous piece of art. Below you will find the link to the show. Enjoy. Make sure you watch until the end, when a real opera aficionado gives us his opinion about the show. Some parts are harder to hear, but you'll get the gist.

Mazal Tov to Kitah Gan and to the Gan staff for turning this unit into a memorable moment for our youngest students. Enjoy the opera!

The Enchanted Forest Opera from hilary Gollis on Vimeo.

Celebrating the BIG moments...

What a privilege I had this morning! I participated in something that I have never had an opportunity to take part in before. I witnessed a family become completely whole. Today, along with a number of other faculty and members of the 1st grade class at LGA, we went to Hadley Juvenile Court to see Alyssa C. officially become Alyssa Z. Every adult in the room shed a joyous tear. The students sat respectfully in awe as their classmate, Alyssa, stood up with her parents, Neil and Amy and her brother, Cory and listened to the judge make the decree. It surely is a moment that these seven and eight year olds are going to remember for a very long time.

Introducing the entire Z-R family!

This moment reminds how important community is in the life of a school and how strongly LGA embraces this as a central tenet of our mission. When we intertwine community with teachable moments, we are stating that these everyday events make up life are an integral part of a child's upbringing. The fact of the matter is that we only decided at the very last moment that the 1st graders would be attending the adoption, making it impossible for the students to attend the 3rd grade biography fair. A few students really wanted to see their siblings and friends and tough choices had to be made. But these are healthy choices about community and ones that families grapple with everyday when it comes to sending your child to a school rooted in community.

The adoption was magical and for a moment I got to peer into this family's life. It was a privilege. Their eye contact with each other, the slight brush of their hands against one another signaling "all is going to be ok" and their genuine understanding that their family is now one. What a precious gift to witness this.

And it couldn't have happened to better people. I've had the privilege of knowing Alyssa since she entered Neil & Amy's life. From the moment I met Alyssa, I knew that this was a special child. She had been through a lot in her four short years on this earth. She was thrust into a new school with a new family and a whole bunch of kids she had never met before. Neil and Amy couldn't have been happier to welcome Alyssa and Cory was elated that his biological sister would be joining his family. Alyssa's entry into the family didn't come without its ups and downs but today was all about the UP!

Alyssa captivates your heart. Alyssa's family and my family attend the Jewish Community of Amherst together. One Friday night, we all attended a family Shabbat service. After the services, the entire kahal was gathered for an oneg shabbat. The place was teeming with kids of all ages. Raviv, then two years old, was struggling to get some challah. I witnessed Alyssa reach out for the challah, grab Raviv's hand, and give him a piece before she took a bite for herself. I watched the whole thing play out. I was blown away by the fact where most six year olds would take the challah and take a piece before it giving it to a younger child, Alyssa was so concerned about making sure Raviv got a piece.

Alyssa is the truest form of a mensch. She is a giver. She sees what people need and understands how to make them feel good. When Raviv walks into school with me in the mornings, Alyssa is often there waiting. Raviv looks up to Alyssa and knows that he can trust her. (He loves Cory as well who has taught him how to play "tennis.") Raviv's life has been enhanced because of children like Cory and Alyssa. They have modeled for him what it means to be a mensch. 

Some members of Kitah Aleph (and Corey) celebrating with Alyssa.

So as we sat in the Hadley Juvenile court saying shecheyanu, it is another moment that makes LGA just such a special place for children and teaches them about life in its simplest form. Mazal Tov to Neil, Amy, Cory, and Alyssa. I know that I'll hear great things about this entire family.