It rained. Spring Thing was cancelled, but the flags and the thespians, and the bells went on.

Though it was dark and dreary outside, the Kimmel Center was bright with the dreams and hopes of Philadelphia area children. Several Shipley students joined peers from other schools for the Dream Flag Celebration, marking the end of a three-month long project coordinated at Shipley by Lower School art teacher Kathy Chapman. Against an ambient backdrop of improvisational music, sixty-seven students read aloud their dream poems, which spoke of hopes for the future, for peace and friendship, and for tolerance and understanding. Shipley’s Ben Seiger was one of sixty-seven students chosen to participate in the poetry reading.

The event culminated with the connecting and raising of thousands of dream flags. Students, teachers, and parents stood side-by-side to hold up the mile-long chain of dream flags. To find out more about the Dream Flag Project and Saturday’s events, visit http://www.dreamflags.org/. Twenty-one flags from Shipley, which were chosen for this event, are now on display at the Ludington Library in Bryn Mawr until May 19. 

Meanwhile, surrounded by wait staff setting up tables and testing microphones, eighth graders were starting their final dress rehearsal for Res Hilaria in Via ad Forum, otherwise known as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The band—drums and two guitars—started an unmistakable tune. The Prologae joined in: “Aliquid novi, aliquid miri, aliquid omnibus—commedia, si vis!” “A comedy tonight!”

This is Latin at Shipley. Every year eighth graders, having gotten their grammar down, perform a play—in Latin, sometimes an original Classical comedy, sometimes a translation of a modern work. Their teachers, Lynn Iozzo and Anne Smith, do the translations. (For examples of their plays, go to http://www.theaterwords.com/.) The students have a lot of fun. And there’s no better way to learn a language than to act in it.

This year, the eighth graders are to perform at the Philadelphia Classical Society’s Awards Banquet. The rehearsal does not go well. The play is running longer than the time allowed. In the makeshift dressing room, Lynn cajoles the students: “What’s our motto? ‘Fortiter in Re; Leniter in Modo’!” Courage for the Deed; Grace for the Doing! “And let’s add some ‘Hilariter in Re.’ Let’s have some fun.” The play is cut and an hour later, the performance is infinitely better, drawing high praise from audience and parents. The Classical Society won’t soon forget Shipley’s eighth grade.

For a list of the numerous awards that Shipley Middle School students won in the Classical Society’s annual competition, see the separate news article.

As for the Select Handbell Choir, after a grueling three-hour drive in the pouring rain, they participated in the fifth annual Middle School Bell Fest, along with students from four other schools. They spent the entire day at Wallenpaupack Middle School in Hawley, PA, ringing under Michael Helman, a well known handbell composer and director. At the end of the day there was a short concert, in which each group played a solo piece and all five groups played together in a massed setting. The students had a full day of ringing under an outstanding conductor. They had fun, learned new things, met new students, and left being better ringers than they were at the beginning of the day.