Category Archives: Campus News

New Paths to Learning

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dsc_0016Hidden beyond the shoulders of Sunflower Hill is another world, one that Inly’s children have only caught glimpses of from the trail that skirts the edge and winds down to the bottom of the driveway. From tree-plank benches, they are able to peer down into the secrets and hypothesize on what happens in the forests and wetlands, sketching in their minds or on paper what they see and imagine. There are even animal homes and tunnels that dot the trail’s landscapes, including a fox den recently taken over by a groundhog. Deer and turkeys have also been spotted along the trail, now covered in oranges and reds from autumn leaves, eventually slipping into to their secret habitats.

But something is changing. A new path has opened. One that will bring the child’s eye—and all other senses—closer to the hidden mysteries. Thanks to the time and resources of various families, the final stage of the quarter-mile trail development is nearing completion. Beginning with a serpentine wooden boardwalk that stretches across the stream and wetlands on both ends, children will be instantly greeted with a symphony of bird calls and songs repeating from hickory tree to spice bush to scattered stone walls. Recent rains foretell the seasonal changes as the stream becomes a sliver again and a more present gurgle following the melting snows of the winter and spring to come. Winding past these sights and off the boardwalk, the child will be greeted with maples (containing sweet sap to be harvested in February) and the scent of pine woods. They will pass ferns and rotten logs, home to many smaller creatures, as well as other half-buried markers of a human past. There are so many places to pause and explore, to hold a magnifying glass close and see the recently unseen, to imagine through drawings and words, or simply to be aware of the universal connection of all things.

These trails are full of potential for each child and teacher to unlock. Not only is there the wide scope of scientific concepts, but also bridges to literature, language, and writing; representations of symmetry and geometry; touch points of geography and cultural; musical melodies and rhythms; the grace of movement; the beauty of color and shadow; and so much more. The trails are wild extensions of the domesticity of Sunflower Hill, where students find structure and patterns to guide and help them better understand the outdoors, themselves and the world, which in turn is a both a reflection and extension of Inly’s Montessori classrooms, the da Vinci Studio, and the smaller outdoor spaces on campus.

As Richard Louv says, “The future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”

By Bruce Frost, Upper Elementary Teacher

Bruce is a veteran elementary school teacher with almost 20 years experience in the classroom. He holds a B.A. from Northeastern University, a M.Ed. from Lesley College, and an M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. Prior to teaching, he worked within the publishing field for many years—an experience he brings to the classroom through his love of literature and writing. Among Bruce’s accomplishments during his tenure at South River School in Marshfield are integrated curriculum development and the creation of a 3,600-square-foot organic garden and outdoor learning center. In addition to his role as upper elementary teacher at Inly, he has trained in constructing and managing the World Peace Game and is the coordinator of the Outdoor Classroom and organic garden, where he shares his joy of exploring the creative possibilities and responsibilities within our world. Outside of the classroom, Bruce not only continues to garden and write but is also an active runner and outdoors enthusiast.

Inly Alum Receives Fulbright Scholarship to Spain

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HannahKHWe recently caught up with Inly alumnus, Hannah Kaplan-Hartlaub ‘07, who is graduating from Smith College this May. Kaplan-Hartlaub, a Sociology and Spanish double major, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in Spain, where she will spend next year teaching English at a high school in Madrid. While not teaching, she will also help coach the high school’s Model United Nations team and conduct an independent community service project through the network of community gardens in Madrid. “ I’ll be working with the Urban Garden Network of Madrid to do an independent community service project,” Kaplan-Hartlaub said, “which marries my interests in experiential learning, community-building, and playing in the dirt—all things I can I trace back to my time at Inly School.”

Hannah’s love of the Spanish language prompted her to study abroad last year at the University of Cordoba and also inspired her to pursue the Fulbright program in Spain after graduation. Fulbright grantees are selected through an open and merit-based competition. This ensures that the most qualified applicants are fairly chosen in a way that contributes to the main goals of the program: to provide overseas experience to individuals not previously afforded such an opportunity and to promote mutual understanding and benefit through contributions to both host and home communities.

From its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has fostered bilateral relationships in which citizens and governments of other countries work with the U.S. to set joint priorities and shape the program to meet shared needs. The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETA’s help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. The age and academic level of the students varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level.

When asked about her goals for the program, Kaplan-Hartlaub said,

“Primarily, I aim to teach English for student use with cross-cultural engagement and perspective—in other words, to afford my students the opportunity to explore the world with the facility that English makes possible. I’m also eager to explore the country further and contribute through community service. I hope my volunteering in urban gardens will foster tighter neighborhood community and local connection to the earth, and to begin a dialogue around urban agricultural practices and food culture. This would further my goal of having a true exchange of knowledge and culture with the Madrileña community.”

The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) program is sponsored and managed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Fulbright ETAs are placed in classrooms abroad to assist in strengthening English language instruction, while providing insights on American culture. At the same time, U.S. participants experience intensive cross-cultural interaction in an international educational setting.

Kaplan-Hartlaub reflected that her Inly roots in education “drew out the spirit of exploration” within her:

“While my years at Commonwealth School and then Smith contributed greatly [to this spirit] as well,” she observed, “I always consider Inly to have planted the seed of curiosity. From a young age we worked with teachers and with each other to cultivate our passions, and though the sowing was challenging, the harvest was fruitful and will fortify me during the coming adventures….I hope the Fellowship will allow me to connect further with students and teachers in a new academic setting, and would provide a cross-cultural comparison to inform my interpretations of educational policies in the States upon my return.”

INLYNEXT: Building Innovation for the future of our school

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By Donna Milani Luther, Head of School

At Inly, we reflect every day about the forward-thinking of Maria Montessori. Dr. Maria Montessori took what had been in education and imagined what could be. Today at Inly, we are imagining what can be in the world of education because we fundamentally believe in the power of children. We believe that children are capable of so much more than most give them credit for. This is why we want to create a space that fosters their capabilities, creativity, and innate desire to learn and explore. We plan to do so through updating and upgrading some of our classrooms and creating a new centerpiece for our school.

RenderingExteriorAs many of you already know, Inly School is currently in the midst of a fundraising campaign we’re calling “INLY NEXT: Building Innovation. Through this campaign, we are hoping to raise the funds to build 6 new classroom spaces and a new centerpiece for the school.

Twelve years ago, Inly embarked on a similar campaign to build the Meehan Family Artsbarn. Our Middle School Director, Tschol Slade, reflected recently at a Town Hall Meeting, “When we built the Artsbarn, our school plays and other performances were brought to a whole new level. It opened a new world of possibility for our students.” I believe spaces like the Artsbarn offer structure that leads to freedom, and opportunity that leads to possibility. Since the very first day we opened its doors, the Artsbarn has transformed from moment to moment to meet the diverse needs of our students—it has been a gathering space for Morning Shares, a dance and movement space, a coffee house for our middle school students, an athletic space for basketball games and physical education classes, a learning space for student assemblies, a lecture space for our speaker series, and a performance space for our school plays. The Artsbarn not only meets the needs of our children today but it also allows them to imagine what they can and will be in their future.

The centerpiece that we will be adding to our main school building is very much an architectural nod to the Artsbarn—only this “barn” will be round. The centerpiece will have two stories—one for a brand new library and the other for a Da Vinci Studio. I am extremely proud of our efforts around creating the Da Vinci Studio because I know that no other elementary school will have a space quite like this. It will be named “Da Vinci Studio” in honor of the first true Renaissance man who dreamed of things that weren’t and made them happen. Because we know that we are currently educating children for jobs and careers that don’t exist yet, this space is intended to help our students channel their inner Da Vinci and learn how to create something from nothing—to turn their ideas into reality. The Da Vinci Studio will include space for robotics, 3-D printing, digital video creation, and tinkering. Along with these offerings, the Da Vinci Studio will also have an idea studio, which will have whiteboards on the walls and surfaces for students to imagine, draw, and plan.

At Inly, innovation and creativity are at the core of our curriculum and instrumental to the way children learn. Paramount to our continued success will be learning spaces that mirror the collaborative work spaces of the real world and support our inspired curriculum, with flexibly designed classrooms and expanded resources for both students and faculty. In short, Inly is going places, and I hope you will join me in supporting this campaign and supporting our school’s bright future.

Inly Traditions

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by Donna Milani Luther, Head of School

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Introducing this year’s Inly Players show, Alice and Wonderland, at the annual Halloween Parade

There are a variety of Inly traditions that set us apart from other schools. These traditions serve as an important part of the school year and they are all community-oriented so that students at every level as well as parents, faculty, staff, and friends can enjoy them.

For new families or for those who have always wanted to know more about our Inly traditions, please read on…

Morning Shares

Morning Share is one of my favorite Inly Traditions and a real hallmark of our school. These community gatherings happen roughly once a month and give our students the opportunity to make announcements, share projects and poetry, sing songs, and perform skits. Because our students begin attending Morning Share when they are Toddlers, they become a fluid part of their lives.

A comfort develops for all our students as they stand up on stage before an audience of peers and parents. This comfort transfers to other aspects of their lives and grows as they grow. An immediate outcome is how effortlessly our students greet visitors in their classrooms, making eye contact and shaking hands with adults. But a more lifelong outcome is how poised and confident our students become in themselves.

Halloween Parade

Another tradition at Inly that is very spirited and special is our Halloween Parade. Each year, I love to see how genuinely excited our students are to arrive in their costumes. The whole school comes together for a morning parade around the upper field so that everyone can see the costumes and our students dance to the beloved Halloween song, Skeleton Bones. Of course, the other unique and fun aspect to our Halloween festivities is that my costume each year reveals our annual Inly Players performance (this year, I dressed as the Queen of Hearts to announce that we will be putting on a wonderful production of Alice and Wonderland).

The Inly Players

Last year's Inly Players Performance, Peter Pan

Last year’s Inly Players Performance, Peter Pan

The Inly Players performances have become a hallmark for our school and we’re proud to say that no other school does anything quite like it. Because we include students from grade 3 and up, alumni, parents, faculty, staff and board members in the production, everyone comes together to work toward a common goal. The performance is truly children’s theater at its best and teaches our students how to stretch and grow.

When our students are given the opportunity to stand up on stage in front of an audience, they become more and more comfortable in their own skin. This comfort translates to other areas of their lives – from public speaking to job interviews—and allows them to better answer the important question, “Who am I?” Acting lets our students PRETEND, which is something that can feel considerably less threatening than being themselves. They do not feel vulnerable or exposed. Being in character is freeing and inspires creativity, imagination and personal growth.

As Head of School, I play the role of “Director” every day,. What I love about participating in the Inly Players’ performances is that I am no longer the Director but rather, a performer working alongside my fellow performers. The students have the opportunity to watch me and other adults stumble through lines or struggle to sing a high note. I think this experience is very encouraging and educational. It shows them how hard work pays off and how the rewards are appreciated at any age.

Middle School Internships and Project Week

Every fall and spring, the Middle School students at Inly School participate in Internship Week. The eighth graders spend this week off campus at a diverse array of internship host sites, which include everything from an organic farm to the Massachusetts State House.

To prepare for Internship Week, in seventh grade, Inly students participate in Project Week, a week on campus designed to prepare the students for future off-campus internships. During this week, the students complete the Myers-Briggs personality inventory, write their resumes, and begin planning for their internships.

Middle School aged children are fascinated with their roles in the larger society and eager to explore these roles through their own participation. An important part of their exploration of the world is that they have authentic work experiences. Inly’s Internship Program was created to give students the opportunity to experience this vital aspect of adolescent exploration and development. I’m so delighted that they’re able to do that.

This year, during Project Week, our Middle School students worked on launching the school-wide fundraising efforts for Heifer International. They visited the classrooms and helped the younger students choose a donation goal.

Grandfriends’ Day

Another tradition that I love at Inly is Grandfriends’ Day. While this “holiday” is also celebrated at other schools, at Inly, our grandfriends have the chance to be a part of our community and see what makes Inly special. Giving children the ability to share their work with others in their family and in our community is huge treasure.

Inly Family Series

Inly hosts a series of fun and creative events for families on a few Sunday afternoons throughout the school year. This fall, we kicked off the year with Beats & Brushes and in December, we will be busy decorating gingerbread people in the Artsbarn.

These events are a wonderful way to bring our community together to do something fun and creative.

I hope it is clear from this long but certainly not exhaustive list of Inly Traditions that these events are like beautiful, colorful patches on the “quilt” that makes up the Inly experience. Fifty years from now, it is likely that our former students will not remember every little thing that they did in their classrooms each day. But the Inly Traditions and the moments that made them feel a part of something larger and something very special will be ingrained in their memories.

Inly is GOING PLACES—this year and beyond

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DonnaBy Donna Milani Luther

We are delighted to welcome new and returning families to Inly and to start another school year together. Inly—and the children who fill its classrooms—are going places. Last spring, our Lower Elementary students sat with one of the authors of the book Going Places and wowed him with their creativity and self-awareness. It is our students who will fly above the rest as they think, problem-solve, and not spend too much time relishing in their victories. Believe it or not, this is the first time that every student at our school was born in this century. These are the children who will shape the next generation’s medical devices, smart technology, and other things we can’t begin to imagine—and they will do it with persistence, knowledge, the ability to understand and follow directions, and confidence in their abilities to take their ideas to new heights.

We take every Inly student’s education very seriously. Not only do we pride ourselves in staying ahead of the educational curve, we are committed to delivering a rigorous, exceptionally challenging education in a Montessori way. That means every child will feel known, be a valued member of our community, and feel appreciated for who they are, while we help them work to their potential.

The Montessori way is not a process that lends itself to A, B, Cs and Ds. It is more individual and more intentional.

GoingPlaces

Image courtesy of Peter Reynolds

In order to help our parents better understand what, when, how, and why their children are learning Montessori lessons, Inly is piloting the reporting feature of our online record keeping system, Montessori Compass. This tracking software helps teachers map out the Montessori curriculum for each student against the Common Core. The Montessori Compass reports will give you a snapshot into our curriculum and the ongoing work of your child in his or her classroom.

It is important to note that this new parent communication is still a work in progress. We will continue to work with the software designers to refine the look and feel and user experience. We are slated to launch this reporting feature in October. The reports are dynamic and will allow all who are interested to read more about the lessons, materials, and rationale behind the Montessori works your child is being introduced to in the classroom.

These reports will not capture the entirety of work that is happening in the curriculum and programming, nor are they meant to be evaluative documents. The intent is to make the Montessori materials, curriculum, scope, and sequence more transparent. You will still receive full progress reports on each individual child—along with conferences—in November, February, and May.

Navigating Montessori Compass will be new for all, so we will sponsor a series of information sessions to help you understand this new system. The session dates will be posted shortly. We will also talk about this at our Parents Group meetings, create a webinar for those that can’t come in during the day, and have some “drop-in” sessions for Q&A. We will ask for your feedback as we roll this out. Our goal is to continue to improve this new communication. Please stay tuned for follow-up news on our roll-out of Montessori Compass.

Inly Athletics Reaches New Level: Sports teams now compete in two leagues

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By Donna Milani Luther, Head of School

Jabari Scutchins watches over flag football practice this fall.

Jabari Scutchins, Inly’s Athletic Director, watches over flag football practice this fall.

I’m very proud to announce that Inly School has become the first Montessori school to join NEPSAC, the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. NEPSAC was established in 1942 as an organization of athletic directors from accredited New England independent schools. There are now over 175 schools in the league and four districts. Starting next fall, Inly’s soccer team will compete in 3–5 games against other NEPSAC schools in our district (District 3) and Inly’s running team will compete in 3–5 races in the spring.

This exciting athletic milestone is in large part thanks to the work of Jabari Scutchins, Inly’s new Athletic Director. Since joining Inly’s faculty last year, Jabari has worked hard to bring our athletic programs to the next level. This has included offering Boot Camp, continuing our Play60 Youth NFL football program at the South Shore YMCA in Hanover, and starting Team Inly.

Inly Bootcamp, or “IBC,” is an early morning exercise program designed to stimulate brain activity and prepare students for concentrating on the school day ahead. IBC has been offered this year on Mondays and Wednesdays to LE students and Tuesdays and Thursdays to UE and MS students for 30 minutes.

Inly offered a Play60 Youth NFL football program at the Hanover YMCA in the fall, coached by Jabari Scutchins and Inly parent, Mike Benning. We have also included a flag football team this spring as part of our after-school programming. The flag football team is co-ed and has been very popular with both our male and female student athletes.

Jabari has also initiated Team Inly, which is comprised of faculty and staff, students, and parents who represent Inly at local sporting events including road races, walks, bike rides, and more. The goal of Team Inly is to unite the Inly community around healthy physical activities. Thus far, members of Team Inly have participated in the Holly Hill Farm 5K this fall, the Feed the Need 5K this spring, and plan to participate in the Hingham 4th of July Road Race this summer.

In addition to competing in NEPSAC, Inly’s fall soccer team will continue to compete in the Massachusetts Montessori Athletic Conference (MAC). The Montessori Athletic Conference is celebrating its 5th anniversary this year and is hosting a 5K in Lexington Montessori this weekend to commemorate the achievement. (All are welcome to participate and race details can be found here).

Last month, Julie Kelly-Detwiler, our Assistant Head of School, wrote a very interesting and personal perspective piece debunking some of the misconceptions about Montessori and competition (see “Misconceptions About Montessori and Competition.”)

“It is clear to me that Maria Montessori was not against competition. As the first female physician in Italy, she was a woman of great drive and accomplishment. Rather, Montessori held a revolutionary idea that the adult’s role is to create a learning environment that entices children to explore and develop their potential through intrinsic motivation, and not one that uses the artificial construct of competition as motivation. She understood what behavioral scientists in the 21st century have come to know as well, that extrinsic rewards and punishments—such as grades, class ranking, and awards—are the worst kinds of motivators to sustained achievement and often work against the children they are meant to serve.”

As our athletic programs grow, it is our hope that our students continue to learn about teamwork, respect, competition, and many other valuable life lessons. It is also our hope that our participation in NEPSAC not only complements but enhances our existing athletic programming and gives students who crave additional competition the chance to challenge themselves.

Please stay tuned for future updates about more exciting changes in Inly Sports & Athletics!

Peter Pan Comes to Inly!

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PeterPanPosterAn Interview with director Martha Sawyer about this year’s production

By Amy Martell, Inly parent

Peter Pan is coming to Inly! Set to open on February 28, this year’s Inly Players performance promises magic, joy, and a consciousness that brings to life the heart of the Neverland tale.

Amy Martell, mother of Inly Students Lilja (’19) and Theo (’22) and cast member in the play sat down with the director, Martha Sawyer, to discuss this year’s production.

Amy: So, given all of the other wonderful possible musicals out there, why Peter Pan? What made you want to put on this production at Inly?

Martha: Well, at Inly, one of the things we have to consider is [choosing] a show that will showcase not only the great student aspects but also the aspects of the adults that we can bring into a cast. The show also has to have an appeal…we specifically look for a show that will have a lot of imagination in it, something that will appeal to a young demographic—not just from a performance standpoint, but [also] from an attendance standpoint, and we want to have themes that we feel the students will learn and grow from. Inly did Peter Pan as the premier show for the Artsbarn and we had considered it again for last year’s play. However, we wanted to make sure that all of the students who had done it before had already gone through the school so that it would be a new experience for the students and no one was going to do the same show within their tenure as an Inly Player. I’ve never done the show—so I’m very excited! I love doing a show for the first time!

It’s amazing that in your whole career you haven’t done the show! 

The technical aspects of the show are so challenging—a lot of places won’t touch it. That’s one of the other reasons that I love doing shows here at Inly—they will tackle any technical aspect, and say, “we’ll find a solution!”

What are some of the technical challenges of the show?

Well, number one, you’ve got flying. It’s interesting, they’ve just come out with a junior version of this show from one of the houses where they have suggestions for doing a show where you don’t have to fly, which would work beautifully, but there’s nothing quite like Peter’s first entrance…it’s magical. It’s one of those moments in theater that just…happens. That’s one of the great technical aspects.

The other thing is that, because of the setup of the barn, everything is done sort of in the round, so I’m constantly trying to make sure that the vision, and the way we tell the story appeals to all sides of the audience so they will get an equal experience. So you have to really work with your actors to make sure that they’re not getting stuck in a proscenium, downstage presentation. We have to really work on staging and using every side and crevice of the barn and the space. So that’s fun, but it can be challenging too.

So that brings me to my next question. Many people have seen other productions of Peter Pan, including the Mary Martin version, the Cathy Rigby version, the Disney version, and even the Inly version in 2007. Can you share with us a little bit of your vision for this production?

Well, because this is the first time that I have done it, I read the script and I thought it was charming, I really did—I jumped right back into the lovely Victorian storytelling. But most of all I was struck by the definition of Neverland. When Peter sings the song, “Neverland,” he describes this place where “time is never planned,” and I think my brain just sort of latched onto that and said, “Ok, there’s my theme.” For me, it’s so childlike. It so captures the essence of who Peter is, and why he holds on to that mystery of Neverland through so much. When I worked with actors the other day, we talked a little bit about, ‘what would a place where time is never planned be like?’ and one of them said, “It would be chaotic!” And you know, I said, “that’s because we come from a world where, for instance, the first thing I did at rehearsal is give out a schedule. We are planning every second.” And I said, “You’re right! It might be chaos. But it could be good chaos—it could be bad chaos. It would be different.” So that’s probably the main theme that I asked all the designers and the creative team to keep in mind as we make the journey through the rehearsals. I want the wonder of Neverland—this place where the joy and the freedom of youth to sort of just take a day and let it happen—can be captured. So that’s what we are trying to envision.

You gave me goosebumps in rehearsal the other day when you described it! It really sounds magical.

So, another important question—J.M. Barrie wrote “Peter Pan, or The Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up” in the early 1900s, and the first production of that play was produced in 1904. The story takes place in Victorian England and is clearly rooted in a Victorian mindset, such as in the characterization of the so-called “Indian” characters. How are you working with these aspects of the play?

So, there are sensibilities. You encounter this with any piece—each piece is written in its own timeframe and with its own sensibilities of how life was at the time and how perceptions were at the time. This piece is based on a story written in the early 1900s, this stage play was done in the mid-1950s, so those sensibilities are part of the play. How people are imagined—whether Indians or Pirates, even the Lost Boys who are orphans who are basically described as children who have fallen out of prams—you know, these ideas are drawn from the time when the play was written and produced. Now, in 2014, our awareness is different, and we are aware of the importance of rejecting stereotypes about places and people. So what we have specifically tried to do is say, again, going back to that lyric in Neverland, we want to create a world where, yes, there are groups that may seem different to each other [initially], but they, in fact, build a bond through learning and through knowledge and through discovering—through the story of the play. We are going to make this a very strong theme (and I’ve already started in rehearsals with the students)—how the different characters start off being afraid of each other, and by the end of the show they are no longer afraid, they’ve learned to work together, and even to overcome some of the obstacles they face together, because they have learned about each other.

We did an exercise this afternoon at the rehearsal where I asked students ‘what are the types of things that make you afraid?’ They talked about being in dark, they talked about sounds they weren’t sure of, and they talked about trying something new—those were all things that might be fearful. And then I asked, how do you deal with things that you are afraid or things that seem different to you? And they all gave me different solutions. Some said ‘oooh, I might run away.’ Some said ‘I might try to stay closer to it so that I learn more about it.’ Others had other solutions. What I’m trying to do when working with students in this way is to find the feelings of how you might have an unease about something that is different, but then through opening up and making the journey and learning about that person or that place or that thing you can learn to fit it into part of your story. So that’s what we’re working on.

In addition, one thing we have also decided is that during production of the play we will continually refer to the ‘Neverland Lost Boys,’ the ‘Neverland Pirates,’ and the ‘Neverland Indians’ when talking about the different groups of characters. This is to emphasize to the children that these groups of people exist only in Neverland—they are imaginary, not based on any real people in our world.

[Editor’s Note: During the production of the play some of the students will be engaged in learning modules about Native Americans and other native communities. Those classes will be learning about the concepts of stereotypes and archetypes (in developmentally appropriate ways), and students will be taught how to appreciate the differences between how literature and entertainment often present native communities and how they actually live.]

So, is there any one thing you are most looking forward to about this production? I know that’s a hard question!

It’s not too hard! What I love about the Inly shows is that, when everything comes together, and the students and the adults—you know, you have professional actors working with students—when I see those two worlds connect—when I walk through the backstage before the shows and Scott [Wahle] will be sitting chatting with a third or fourth grader, and they’ll be speaking right up and giving him their impression of how the show went—those moments are what I thrive on, I love them.

About the Director

Martha Stewart is an award-winning director, actress and designer. She has previously directed OLIVER!, THE WIZARD OF OZ, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, WILLY WONKA and THE MUSIC MAN at Inly School. Over the last three decades Martha has served as artistic director for more than 50 full stage productions in the community, scholastic and regional theatre venues. A graduate of Manhattanville College, Martha has studied directing with Helena Dreyfus of Yale Drama School and David Wheeler of Harvard and A.R.T. She has served as an adjudicator for the Mass. High School Drama Festival and has won awards from EMACT and AACT for outstanding direction, set and costume design for productions on the state and regional levels. She is a member of the Board of Directors for Curtain Call Theatre in Braintree and is on the staff for Theater Plus in Marshfield. Martha extends her sincere thanks to the whole Inly community for their hard work and support in bringing these wonderful productions to the stage.

Coming Soon: New Middle School Gathering Space

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By Donna Milani Luther, Head of School

I am delighted to announce that the Inly Board of Trustees and the Master Planning Committee have elected to move forward with a renovation project of the Middle School garage. The new space will be called “The Commons,” and will be a gathering space for Middle School band rehearsals, Robotics Team practices, student clubs, after school programs, and other small group discussions.

Rendering 1At Inly, we are always seeking ways to maximize the spaces we have available on campus and to make sure we are using these spaces to their full potential. The Master Planning Committee, chaired by Inly parent, Rob DeMarco, is charged with looking at the Inly campus strategically each year and determining how to improve the school’s spaces. The building of The Commons will be made possible by capital funds designated for campus improvements. This project will allow the Middle School to gain an additional learning space, which will open further possibilities for this program.

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The Commons will be a beautiful, bright space equipped with a restroom, computers, storage for band equipment, and more. You will see in the renderings that it will have an outdoor patio space as well as large glass windows to let in lots of natural light.

Please stay tuned for news on when this exciting project will unfold.