Class Notes

C O N C O R D A C A D E M Y M A G A Z I N E S P R I N G 2 0 1 0MLK SERVICE TRIP: Meaningful GesturesOhe song “Funkytown” byLipps Inc. played throughthe small speakers of a whitelaptop as kids trickled intoroom 121 at the top of theSouth School stairs. We kickedoff the workshop—Sexual Orientationand Gender Hierarchy—by reading a short scenefrom Angels in America byTony Kushner. In this scene,Roy Cohn, a powerful, politicallyconnected attorney, discovershe has AIDS. Hisdoctor’s insinuation that Roy isa homosexual sparks a passionatespeech detailing howCohn perceives sexuality’sconnection to power in the32n Martin Luther King Jr.Day at CA, a group of studentstraveled to the HoraceMann School for the Deaf andHard of Hearing, a publicschool in Boston, and practicedthe skills they learned inAmerican Sign Languageclasses in the weeks precedingthe visit.The trip to Horace Mannhad long been a goal of seniorJulia Hanlon, who worked withCA’s multicultural group,MOSAIC, to organize the tripand the sign language classes.During Julia’s last year at BelmontDay School, which sheattended prior to CA, she completeda project on deaf theatreand education and visitedHorace Mann to learn aboutthe school. She said she wasinspired by the way the schoolfunctions as a family for manyof its students who face additionalchallenges, ranging frompoverty to being unable tocommunicate at home.At Horace Mann, CA studentswatched an introductoryvideo, observed classes,toured, and shared a pizzalunch with students fromMLK WORKSHOP: Sexuality and Social HierarchyTLaura Twitchell ’01social food chain.We discussed Cohn’sunderstanding that heterosexualmeant powerful, andhomosexual meant weak. Followingthis discussion, wewatched and discussed severalclips, ranging from Walkon the Wild Side, a film fromthe sixties that flirts with thesubject of homosexuality, tocurrent TV shows like Will andGrace and The L Word thataddress homosexuality headon.Through these clips, wediscussed the theme of“unhappy gay people” slowlyfinding the ability to respecttheir own sexuality. We endedHorace Mann’s upper school.After lunch, Julia ran a culturecircle—an ice-breaking exercisein which students stepforward in response to variousquestions about their interestsand identities. Horace Mannstudents performed a song,then CA students organizedcreative activities celebratingMartin Luther King, Jr.’slegacy. CA’s multiculturalgroup MOSAIC, which sponsoredthe trip and four AmericanSign Language classesthat preceded it, donated $500to Horace Mann’s IncentiveProgram, which allows theschool to give special privilegesto students making thehonor roll.Julia’s enthusiasm andhard work paid off. “It wascool to be able to watch CAstudents’ reactions to the newenvironment,” she said,adding that she was touchedby how much Horace Mannstudents opened up in the culturecircle, where they contributedquestions rangingfrom “do you like music?” toJulia Hanlon ‘10 runs the culturecircle at the Horace Mann Schoolfor the Deaf and Hard of Hearing(behind her, Tiffany Nova ‘11 andMaris Hubbard ‘12).the workshop with a clip fromThe L Word addressing transgenderissues.After watching fifty yearsof history compressed into anhour, we ended the workshopcelebrating how far we havecome on the issue of homosexuality,and how far we stillhave to go until we can fullyaccept all forms of sexuality.—Olivia Fantini ’10“do you feel like a black sheepin your family?”“We’re all high school kidsand teenagers when it comesdown to it,” said Julia—a sentimentkeenly felt throughoutthe day.—Laura Twichell ’01French and English teacherMLK WORKSHOP:The Power of Hip-HopIt seems safe to say that hip-hopis one of music’s most commonlymisunderstood genres. Today, whenpeople think of hip-hop, many ofthem imagine the cliché-riddledodes to cars, sex, and the pursuit oflarge sums of money that clogmainstream radio stations. What isoften forgotten is that this musicoriginated as, and in many casesremains, a culturally rich, uniqueform of self-expression in whichartists can convey their thoughts oropinions through music.The workshop I attended, “Hip-Hop: Sending Out Messages,”focused on the various ways rappershave woven politics into theirmusic and analyzed how effectivethese instances can be. Politicalhip-hop has a fervent yet relativelysmall fan base in comparison to thewatered-down work of more mainstreamartists. Our group came tothe conclusion that it is very valuablewhen these more commercialrappers branch out and discuss theviews that they generally pushaside in favor of higher sales.As a music lover and aspiringwriter, I am drawn to songs withmeaningful and complex lyrics. Itwas refreshing to be among a groupof peers who regarded hip-hop inthe same way that I do, and it wasenjoyable to engage in the type ofdiscussion that often occurs at alunch table and build upon it in aclassroom setting.But when the music startedplaying, we listened to each song insilence, concentrating on what eachartist had to say.—Will Harrison ’10