Tell me and I will forget.
Show me and I will remember.
Involve me and I will understand.
- Chinese Proverb
From its earliest days, a child's experience at The Swain School included opportunities for hands-on activities and play, which continue today across the curriculum.
As we look forward to next weekend's production 
of Alice in Wonderful, the 6th-8th graders' musical, we talked with Veronica Bocian (pictured right, in turquoise shirt), who came to Swain last September as our Drama teacher. Admittedly, she had 'big shoes' to fill but has jumped into the life of our school with enthusiasm and commitment.
SS: Tell us about the drama curriculum at Swain.
VB: The Preschool and Prekindergarten students are getting all kinds of opportunities for creative play and movement with their classroom teachers, their music and PE teachers, and their Fun Friday activities.
Beginning in my drama classes with the Kindergarten students, we start exploring the "Actor's Toolkit". These include body language, movement, voice projection, and reacting to the other actors. This is basically the curriculum for all grades, and over the years we add more elements like analyzing the script and blocking.
All of these things are second nature to Swain students by the time they get to middle school.
SS: Do you have a memory of your own childhood drama experiences?
VB: We would work with a partner and be given a prompt. We were told to bring that particular piece of the story to life, and that was my favorite part.
When our audience sees Alice in Wonderland, they will see it brought to life too.
SS: Tell us about your process in bringing 
a performance to the stage.
VB: I've had really, really high expectations because I believe the students will rise to them. We're starting high, and will adjust if we need to - but I don't see that happening. They are working through all the challenges!
SS: Anything specific to this production of Alice in Wonderland?
VB: This is a really fast-paced show, with a lot going on. All of the actors and crew need to be focused and present, every minute.
And because all of the characters are so different, they've had the responsibility to research their character, the story, and Lewis Carroll, the author. It's really become an independent study project for each one, and then we will put it all together in a fun, fast-paced way.
SS: Any 'life lessons' you hope that the actors and audience will take from this show?
VB: There will be a large clock on the stage, and at the end Alice says she has no control over the clock, or her life. But then she sees that by just being herself, she does have control. A good metaphor for all of us!
Alice in Wonderland comes to The McCann Center stage on Friday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m., and on Saturday, March 19 at
11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. The show is appropriate for all ages, and tickets are available at swain.org/Alice.
This week on social media
From Friday: Swain was well-represented at today's PANASP (Pennsylvania National Archery in the Schools Program) State Tournament at State College - six middle school archers traveled to the competition with their coaches, Carole Henning and Jason Reed. They competed against hundreds of other athletes from around the state - we're proud of you!
