Sawyer G.

Here at Blach Intermediate school we are pretty good at including the arts in our curriculum. In total we have about eight classes of the arts, one of which is drama, taught by Ms. Meckler.

So what is drama like as an elective? Many kids don’t even consider taking drama, however I speak from experience when I say it is a fun, social class for those who wish to act or to express themselves.

We interviewed Ms. Meckler to find out why she became a drama teacher and what she thought of the program. She has been teaching drama for two years and she started because she has always loved the arts and theater and knew there was a lot of talent here at Blach.

Meckler thinks the theater gets a lot of support in the form of the “awesome” theater and great lights and sound system. Ms. Meckler likes to set the program apart from others by picking more diverse plays that challenge the actors and entertain the audience more.

We also interviewed several drama students to find their views on drama. First time drama student 7th grader Madison Bystrom says drama is really different from other electives. She says they do a lot more, “hands on work” than other classes. Bystrom thinks the other electives are more like subjects and drama really is a free choice elective.

In terms of improvement Bystrom just said that all she would do is make drama a year long elective so more could get done. She believes that Ms. Meckler is really good at teaching and is quite impressive to be able to teach english and drama at the same time, Ms. Meckler says “theater and drama are actually more related than you would think.”

The second drama student we interviewed was Anne Eggleton. Eggleton says drama is a really great way to express yourself and meet people you wouldn’t normally talk to. She says that Ms. Meckler really knows what she is talking about and helps the kids learn more about drama as an artform.

However, Miss Eggleton does wish there were more people in the drama class because they could do bigger productions and she could get to know more people. Other than that she would do nothing more to improve the elective.

So how is drama as an artform? Meckler says that drama is important to children’s development. Studies show that teens need to take risks and compared to the many dangerous risky experiences in our world drama is a safe alternative. It is also a great chaperoned, sheltered way to gain confidence in yourself and in others. It’s important to remember that a production in drama won’t be successful if it’s a one person show.

Next time you are looking for a new elective, check out drama, the elective for social, fun, and loving people who enjoy or wish to express themselves, in other words, my kind of people.