The circus is coming to town, courtesy of Clinton Elementary’s fifth grade.
The annual circus featuring Poughkeepsie City School District students at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House is 6 p.m. Thursday. The show is free, though there is a suggested donation of $6.
For roughly a quarter century, students from the former Morse Elementary put on a circus show each year, working with the Seano’s Circus Theatricks program. The educational enrichment unit was continued at Clinton this year as part of the Elementary Reorganization initiative.
Clinton’s fifth grade classes, for the last two weeks, have worked with Sean Fagan – otherwise known as Seano – to learn various tricks, from balancing on balls and walking on stilts to juggling scarves and throwing and catching with a diablo – a sort of circus yo-yo.
Wednesday was their final in-school rehearsal; the students will rehearse again at the Bardavon Thursday morning in advance of their one-night-only extravaganza.
While students learned at different speeds – and some students initially “looked at me like I was cuckoo,” Fagan said – those who took to the skills immediately inspired others. Fagan noted one student was exceptional at the diablo, so much so that they were able to play catch.
“As soon as he got good, nine other kids wanted to do it,” Fagan said. “Even though I do it pretty well, they expect me to do it well. Once they saw one student do it, they thought ‘Oh, maybe I could do it.’”
Other students were skilled on stilts, learning to do a pirouette and walk over other students. Some are able to juggle scarves while balancing on a ball.
“They get an opportunity to see their talents and what they can do when they’re focusing,” Dr. David Scott, Clinton’s principal, said. “And, they can cross-apply that to the academics – the focus on their academics that can lead them to higher achievement.”
Creative activities like learning circus tricks “triggers different parts of the brain,” Scott said. “That artistic part gets other juices flowing to do better at reading, better at math.”
Fagan stressed the importance of teamwork, as well. Students needed each other, at times, to help them step onto the apparatus like stilts. The kids also learned how to make a pyramid, balancing on one-another’s backs.
“You said, ‘I’ll try,’” Fagan told the kids, summing up their training after the rehearsal Wednesday. “That’s what it’s about. Trying new things and learning – not necessarily math, numbers – but learning about yourself. What can you accomplish? What interests you?”