AT-SCHOOL RESIDENCIES
Hibbard Elementary workshop 2009
Free Street partners with six Chicago Public Schools to provide yearlong workshops that combine the exploration of performance, creative writing and core subjects. These workshops culminate in a public performance or published piece.
Each year 150-200 youth participate in Free Street’s CPS residencies in these partnering schools:
Crown Elementary Community Academy
Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies
Sabin Elementary Magnet School
Jordan Community School
Ivy Hill Elementary
The students at Jordan Community School will continue their collaboration with students from Ivy Hill Elementary in the Arlington Heights school district in a program called Breaking Borders. The workshops in this residency focuses on the commonalities between urban and suburban school experiences, while pointing out the obvious differences as a departure point for deeper discussions of socio-economic disparities. Now in it’s sixth year, this program continues to be an inspiring dialogue between the respective school communities.
Sabin Elementary Magnet School and Crown Community Academy continue their participation in ACT/Write program, a residency in partnership with the Center for Community Arts Partnerships, Columbia College Chicago. The teaching artists facilitate workshops performance, creative writing and research. Resident artists meet with the students for 2 hours per week for 23 weeks. Instruction in improvisation and writing will lead to the creation and performance of original plays and the publication of original writing, with the schools and classroom educators collaborating on curriculum design.
Additionally, Free Street makes available in-service training opportunities to all interested educators in the collaborating schools so that Free Street’s methods and philosophy can be absorbed into the environment of the school.
