November 8, 2015

Greetings,

On this sunny Sunday, please enjoy this story of hope coming from tragedy.

A Child's Requiem

"Swain is a school that recognizes the importance of letting children express feelings of grief and loss." - current Swain parent

On Friday evening, the poetic contributions made by Swain students to the oratorio, A Child's Requiem, were enthusiastically acknowledged by the audience at Lehigh University's Zoellner Arts Center.

The journey to that acknowledgement had begun

with a casual conversation between Lehigh music professor,
Dr. Steven Sametz (right) and then Head of School Todd Stansbery. Dr. Sametz had just been awarded a $25,000 prize to craft a piece of music in memory of the Sandy Hook school shooting victims.

If sadness was earth, it would be the rocks because they are unmoving and heavy.

If memory was a material, it would be slippery stones, because we try to hold on to them as hard as we can.
- Ben Kraft '16

Recognizing the value that the arts bring to the healing process, he was looking for schools to partner with, to include children's voices and artwork in his piece.

He had approached schools nationwide but many were unwilling to participate. After their conversation, Mr. Stansbery connected him with Swain's Poet in Residence, Marilyn Hazelton.

Understanding the sensitive nature of the project, Mrs. Hazelton contacted the families of older students to ask permission for them to be involved. There was a positive response to the request, and Mrs. Hazelton guided the students through the writing process.

Of the 53 Swain student and four faculty submissions, Dr. Sametz chose contributions from 16 Swain students and two faculty members. These words - along with those of students from Hamilton Disston School in Philadelphia - helped inspire him as he crafted his work.

Loss leads to pain,

pain to sorrow,

sorrow to sadness,
sadness to grief,
grief to anger ...
... what do memories lead to?
- Claire Hummel '14

His work came together on Friday evening

when it had its Lehigh Valley debut at Zoellner. The stage was filled with the 150 voices of Lehigh University Choral Arts (including math teacher Grace Diggs and former faculty members Linda Williams and Rachel Cubellis), the Princeton Singers, the Princeton Girlchoir and the Choral Arts Orchestra. (right: Mrs. Hazelton and Mr. Hursty with several of the student contributors after the performance)

Screens projected student artwork as well as the soloists' and ensembles' lyrics, so the audience was able to see as well as hear the students' words.

If sadness was a landscape it would be the ocean because tears flow down your face like a river - Harrison Jetter '16

After the performance, Dr. Sametz called the student contributors to the stage to take a bow. After the performance, Claire Hummel '14 commented: "The music of the performance was beautiful as well as very well chosen, when it comes to the situation. The audience was very moved and very grateful towards Mr. Sametz for honoring this tragedy."

For the Swain students it was the culmination

of a journey that included the writing as well as an opportunity to meet Dr. Sametz and read their words for him. And on Friday some of them also took the opportunity to tour Lehigh and meet student members of Choral Arts (right: with, from left, Mr. Hursty, Mr. and Mrs. Getty, and Mrs. Hazelton).

Other Swain families and staff were in Friday's audience as well, and one parent said: "We are grateful that Swain and Mrs. Hazelton afforded our daughter this opportunity to learn about using art to help us process our feelings, as well as to pay tribute to the children lost and the grief of their loved ones."

And another parent took the time to write: "It was an honor to have Swain represented in the requiem and I'm sure a valuable experience for all the students involved. I can only imagine how touched the victims' families must have been by the thoughtfulness that went into creating such a beautiful dedication to their loved ones."

love

it's the moon

in the night sky

with a heart

made out of stars

- Clara Getty '17

Thank you for reading this edition of Swain Stories!

The Swain School
1100 South 24th Street
Allentown, Pennsylvania 18103