Schools

A Hen Hud Community Visit to the Land of Oz

A community read organized by the Hen Hud Library and School District has brought the joy of the Wizard of Oz to hundreds of students and families in creative ways.

Hundreds of children have been discovering Dorothy’s magical red ruby slippers, the lollipop guild members of munchkin land and the yellow brick road together over the last several months.

All elementary and middle school students, and several classes of high school students in the Hen Hud district received a free Wizard of Oz book through a community read program organized by the school district and the Hendrick Hudson Free Library.

The program involves classes reading and studying the book and culminates in a week of fun Oz-related activities and discussion groups at the library and in school during the week of May 14. The week culminates with a high school art class puppet production that presents a modern take on the classic story on May 20. (Take a sneak peak of the creative and well-produced play here).

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“In this time when everybody is worried about budgets and money it is nice to have something the community can do together,” Library Director Jill Davis said. Davis, Hen Hud School District assistant superintendent Alice Gottlieb, and high school art teacher Janette Aiello organized the event.

The Peekskill-Cortlandt community feels a special connection to Oz because Baum spent several years at the Peekskill Military Academy. It is believed that a n Peekskill inspired the one in his stories.

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The library has made the book available for any community member to borrow and also obtained large print and audio editions for senior citizens to participate and bilingual copies for their ESL children and parents who meet at the library for English classes every Monday.

A $6,000 grant from Entergy and a $1,000 grant from the Hendrick Hudson Community Educational Foundation (HHCEF) helped make the exciting community event possible.

“Bringing the community together for this event excited our Board of Directors. It was certainly a worthwhile cause and we were thrilled we were able to support it,” stated HHCEF President Beth Gruber.

Once funding and materials were secured through grants written by Aiello and library staff, teachers began implementing Oz lessons and assigning the book to their classes.

Many involved feel a buzz of excitement growing.

“To bring a beloved classic to the new generation of readers in our community via puppets was very rewarding," Aiello said of the play created by two of her classes. "The high school art students experienced the thrill of audience feedback, which added a dynamic credibility to their class work,” Aiello said.

After seeing enthusiastic participation from teachers, schools and students this year, they hope to continue community read next year as well, Davis said.

The library events start the week of May 14, see schedule below:

May 16: Book Discussion: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire, 7 p.m.  Constance Dyckman and the library staff will lead an in-depth discussion.

May 17: Wizard of Oz Matinee Move: 1:30 p.m. in the Community Room

7 p.m.: The Peekskill/Oz Connection with Historian John Curran. Curran will discuss the life of L. Fank Baum while he attended Peekskill Military School. Registration begins May 3.

May 20: Puppet Production of “The Wizard of Oz” with Students of Hen Hud High School, 2 p.m. Students of art teacher Jan Aiello will perform a puppet show with shadow puppet sand marionettes of their own creation. It will recreate the Baum story in a modern setting, using modern language and style. Get a sneak peak here

While the high school art students have created the modern Oz show mentioned above, other Hen Hud schools are also planning their own events. Furnace Woods Elementary will have a pajama day in May with a Wizard of Oz theme. They may hold a screening of the movie for older grades and younger grades will draw pictures after reading the book, according to principal Dr. Woods. And Frank G. Lindsey is planning a fair with the Oz theme.

To find out more about the community read contact the Hendrick Hudson Library. Watch the Hen Hud art students marionette production here


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