Ooky Spooky Page 3 - Rock Point School

Page 4
“The bee, from her industry in the
summer, eats honey all the winter”
We too shall be like the bees as we enjoy another Rock Point honey
harvest this fall. Gus Buchanan, who is not only the history teacher
but lead apiarist also, led the students in every stage of the process
from harvest to extraction to bottling and distribution. The honey will
be the only honey used in the school kitchen this year. Sweet!
“In Search Of Air” a performance by Lida Winfield
By Thea Post, 10th Grade.
Every year Rock Point School
attends several performances at the
Flynn Theater. This year’s Flynn
experience began with a theatrical dance
performance by Lida Winfield. She
entitled her performance “In Search Of
Air” which I believe to be a very fitting
metaphor. The performance was based
on her experience growing up with
dyslexia and other learning disabilities.
We drove the 15-minute ride to the
theater with loud music in the car,
amazingly inaudible over the shouting
voices of my peers as if they were
fighting to cancel the other out. As we
piled out of the car the noise level evened
out a bit no longer having to compete
with a blasting stereo. We shuffled in
through the small entrance pushing and
jostling for no particular reason. When
we reached the rows of seats, there
looked to be to few to fit the energy and
excitement of our group. However we
all seated ourselves and quieted down.
Looking around the space seemed so
intimate. Most of us would be less than
10 feet away from Lida. After a moment
of slightly awkward anticipation, a
woman came up and stood in front of
us. She described to us the importance
of our commitment to being polite
and respectful, if not enthusiastic. She
explained that the lights would black
out before and after the performance.
As she walked off stage they did just
that. Within a few seconds you could
hear Lida entering the stage. As light
reentered the room we could all see
Lida slowly making her way fluidly
towards us from behind a sheet. A voice
came over a speaker telling us about the
effects of learning disabilities not only
on the minds of children but also on their
hearts. As the performance progressed
we learned about Lida’s childhood,
which was eerily similar to mine. She
had a kind and devoted family, a great
many opportunities for learning through
out her childhood. Despite these assets
she was unable to comprehend much of
the material in school. As someone who
has been there I know how frustrating
it can be to feel stupid! To feel like you
are somehow not good enough, that
you aren’t what you’re supposed to be.
“My family is full of people who learn
and go to college and get degrees,” she
said. Similar to my family who are full
of unintentional expectations and are
unaware that their successes alone can
make me feel inadequate. She combined
her obvious talent for movement
and expression with her body, with a
beautiful and truthful story. Creating a
masterpiece that brought several of us
to tears. Me in particular, because I can
relate to her story on so many levels. I
was really moved by the truth in it.
I not only enjoyed Lida’s performance
but also I had the honor of attending one
of her classes. I immensely enjoyed it
and would do it again in a heartbeat. She
combined a set of movements to tell two
different stories - one of a bad experience
and one of good. The movements
themselves were so drastically different
from one story to the next, it was
amazing. As I said I would absolutely
do it again. This was my first Flynn
experience and I loved every minute of
it. I learned so much and I was so glad
I got to further pursue it. “In Search
Of Air” is a gratifying experience that
shines light on a complex and painful
subject in a heartfelt, beautiful way.
Viewpoints Fall 2010