A school is designated as Title I if over 40% of the student body live at or below poverty level. At Spring Creek Elementary in Provo, the rate is closer to 70%. The BYU-Public School Partnership and BYU’s Kennedy Center recently collaborated to bring these students, many of whom would otherwise not have had the opportunity, to attend BYU’s production of The Snow Queen. These children were not brought here for an adult production: The Snow Queen, as well as a few other BYU productions, had been specifically re-created for children.

“Many of the opportunities that middle-class families experience on a regular basis may be totally foreign to those who can’t afford them,” said Leslie Stilson, a Spring Creek teacher whose class attended the show. “All of my students came away amazed at the entire performance.” The story of The Snow Queen,  based on a fairytale by Hans Christian Anderson, is of two friends who journey from their Danish village to the palace of the evil snow queen.

In total BYU has put on productions for 2,989 public and homeschooled students this year. “It was so much fun to see their eyes get wide when they realized that they were ‘going to college,’” Stilson said. “Most of my students are considered “at-risk” socially, economically, and otherwise.  Two of my students are homeless, so this was a great chance, especially for them, to be able to escape the ongoing stress they live with every day.  All of the students loved the entire experience.”

“Educators aren’t just about teaching math and reading,” Stilson continued. “They need to focus on teaching the whole child, enhancing every aspect of life while they have the chance to do so.”

16 April 2012