Fiona Riley ‘22, Alina Klaehn ‘22, Cecilia Murphy ‘22, Krissie Essilfie ‘21
For the first time this year, Episcopal is using a modified version of the original J-Term as the two-week session moves to May. This session, now called May Term, includes a variety of on-campus classes and travel options.
Jim Erwin, the Music Department Chair at EA, runs the May Term Takin’ It to the Streets. He explains, “The main objective of Takin’ It To The Streets” is to bring a high energy high school performance to audiences who might not normally get to see live performances brought to them.” Erwin continues, “Since I believe that performance is interactive, we will also perform songs that include the audience inviting them to play percussion, conduct the group, dance, sing, and even sing and perform for us!” Students in this May Term will visit several public elementary schools and will perform in more public settings such as Rittenhouse Square, Reading terminal, Times Square, and more. In addition, they will also take a trip to New York City and watch two shows on Broadway. Erwin says, “One thing I hope they learn is how the power of performance can bring very different types of people together in joyous, musical expression. Also, I hope they experience how the arts can affirm who we are as people as we celebrate shared interests and hopes.”
Another performance-based May Term, Writing, Directing and Performing One-Act Plays is led by Daniel Clay, Theater and Dance Chair, and Christopher McCreary, Upper School Literature teacher. Clay explains, “We spend the first few days using Improv exercises and writing prompts to stimulate the students’ imaginations while also teaching some of the techniques in which original ideas for plays can be generated.” McCreary says, “We’ll do guided writing exercises and improvisation, using that raw material to create characters, settings, and scenarios that then evolve into short plays. We’ll be staging a performance on the final day of May Term.” This May Term stays on campus for the duration of the course to offer maximum time to “explore the elements of creating a theatrical performance,” Clay says. He adds, “We would love the students to begin to see themselves as creative and to understand that the imagination is like a muscle that has to be used in order for it to grow.” McCreary agrees, saying, “It’s a great chance for students to explore an interest in writing or acting outside of the confines of our regular schedule, and taking such a deep dive into the creative process tends to yield really remarkable results!”
Diverging from the arts, Thomas Locke, the Head of School, and Jennifer Fifer, Director of Institutional Advancement, run the May Term Learning to Lead. “We want to give students an exposure to a Leadership course,” Locke explains. “We are thinking of it in terms of a Leadership 101 course, but because of the nature of the course, we think students will gain exposure to some more advanced principles in leadership.” The course covers a variety of leadership skills, including entrepreneurship, innovation, interviews and more in a classroom setting as well as through interactive trips to Comcast, SAP, Wharton Business School at UPenn, and more. Locke hopes that students are “inspired to make a difference in the world.”
Teachers have several opinions in response to the change from January to May. Erwin states, “I like the weather of a May Term, but I am not sure how I like it when we are finishing up the year with concerts, the musical, exams, and APs.” On the other hand, Clay remarks, “I am excited. We can spend more time outdoors and I think that the weather will help the general mood and sense of enthusiasm.” The arrival of May Term brings changes to the EA community that will shape the Episcopal experience this year and in years to come.