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Light Rain District 13 gets its groove on
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It was a Rock 'n' Roll Day, as chosen by the students last May.
Through the district's Democracy in Action program, students have been able to vote for something just for them over the past three years. As parents came to vote for the school budget and board trustees, kids were able to go to their own voting booth and choose between one of three theme days. Rock 'n' Roll Day easily beat out Book Character Day and Crazy Hat and Hair Day.
Last Thursday, Rock 'n' Roll Day was celebrated to mark Elvis Presley's birthday. He would have 74 years old on Jan. 8. Denise DeMeo, a second grade teacher at the James A. Dever School, was certainly in the spirit. "In my room today, it's just Elvis," she said. "Elvis is the king."
Students in her class watched an online press conference in which Elvis' widow, Priscilla Presley, spoke about the Graceland home. The class joined in singing "Happy Birthday" with all the guests at Graceland that day.
Fifth grade teacher Grace Wohlfahrt also concentrated on the King. "Elvis has pretty much been our focus for the day," she said, adding that students read books and Web sites about the famous rock musician.
In Michele DiScala's kindergarten class, the focus was on musicians that her students enjoy. "We haven't really been doing the oldies," she said. "They're more into the Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana and Demi Lovato."
DiScala said her students did enjoy dancing to the music played over the loudspeaker.
Dever Principal Darren Gruen said that instead of singing "America" after the pledge in the morning, he played "Jailhouse Rock" over the loudspeaker. He also cited some important dates in the history of Rock 'n' Roll.
Gruen said he liked the attire shirts students wore to school that day, many paying tribute bands that were popular decades ago. "The kids are walking around with t-shirts where they have no idea who they (the band) are," he said.
Denise Phillips had a karaoke machine setup in her sixth grade classroom. Another famous musical group was the focus of discussion there -- the Beatles. Phillips said her class was really in the spirit. "This group all voted for Rock 'n' Roll Day, I can guarantee," she said.
Tom Pryke, a student in her class, was one of them. "The other ones weren't as good and I love Rock 'n' Roll," he said. His favorite song to sing on the karaoke machine that day was Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer.'"
School psychologist Dr. Karen Jason said a few years ago, her husband produced a Broadway show, "All Shook Up," based on the plot of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night' and featuring Elvis' songs. She brought in a limited edition copy of Elvis' gold record "That's All Right," and said that for many of the younger students, it was their first time even seeing - or hearing about - a record.
Jason said that Rock 'n' Roll Day seemed to be enjoyed by all. "The kids are really into it and so is the staff," she said. "There's a lot of history and a lot of things around it that you can discuss."
Gruen said that music is an integral part of the educational program in District 13 so Rock 'n' Roll Day was a chance to bring everyone together. He agreed that the students really had a good experience last Thursday. "Being that they voted on this," he said, "it really gave them ownership of the event, the celebration and the activities that they enjoyed so much."
Through the district's Democracy in Action program, students have been able to vote for something just for them over the past three years. As parents came to vote for the school budget and board trustees, kids were able to go to their own voting booth and choose between one of three theme days. Rock 'n' Roll Day easily beat out Book Character Day and Crazy Hat and Hair Day.
Last Thursday, Rock 'n' Roll Day was celebrated to mark Elvis Presley's birthday. He would have 74 years old on Jan. 8. Denise DeMeo, a second grade teacher at the James A. Dever School, was certainly in the spirit. "In my room today, it's just Elvis," she said. "Elvis is the king."
Students in her class watched an online press conference in which Elvis' widow, Priscilla Presley, spoke about the Graceland home. The class joined in singing "Happy Birthday" with all the guests at Graceland that day.
Fifth grade teacher Grace Wohlfahrt also concentrated on the King. "Elvis has pretty much been our focus for the day," she said, adding that students read books and Web sites about the famous rock musician.
DiScala said her students did enjoy dancing to the music played over the loudspeaker.
Dever Principal Darren Gruen said that instead of singing "America" after the pledge in the morning, he played "Jailhouse Rock" over the loudspeaker. He also cited some important dates in the history of Rock 'n' Roll.
Gruen said he liked the attire shirts students wore to school that day, many paying tribute bands that were popular decades ago. "The kids are walking around with t-shirts where they have no idea who they (the band) are," he said.
Denise Phillips had a karaoke machine setup in her sixth grade classroom. Another famous musical group was the focus of discussion there -- the Beatles. Phillips said her class was really in the spirit. "This group all voted for Rock 'n' Roll Day, I can guarantee," she said.
Tom Pryke, a student in her class, was one of them. "The other ones weren't as good and I love Rock 'n' Roll," he said. His favorite song to sing on the karaoke machine that day was Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer.'"
School psychologist Dr. Karen Jason said a few years ago, her husband produced a Broadway show, "All Shook Up," based on the plot of Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night' and featuring Elvis' songs. She brought in a limited edition copy of Elvis' gold record "That's All Right," and said that for many of the younger students, it was their first time even seeing - or hearing about - a record.
Jason said that Rock 'n' Roll Day seemed to be enjoyed by all. "The kids are really into it and so is the staff," she said. "There's a lot of history and a lot of things around it that you can discuss."
Gruen said that music is an integral part of the educational program in District 13 so Rock 'n' Roll Day was a chance to bring everyone together. He agreed that the students really had a good experience last Thursday. "Being that they voted on this," he said, "it really gave them ownership of the event, the celebration and the activities that they enjoyed so much."
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