Home Local News RCS 8th Graders Connect Classroom Learning with Live Productions

RCS 8th Graders Connect Classroom Learning with Live Productions

Cast members of the Chamber Theatre perform a curtain call following Thursday's performance.
Photo courtesy of Kyle Pillar.

ROCKINGHAM – Richmond County Schools’ eighth grade students open their year with an exciting unit that delves into the creative mind and works of Edgar Allan Poe, the esteemed 19th century poet and writer.

On Thursday, September 28, these students were treated to a live rendition of several Poe works, as well as several complimentary literary works. Held in the Kate Finley Auditorium at Rockingham Middle School, the Chamber Theatre, based out of Boston, MA, performed original adaptations for an anxious group of approximately 500 students.

Performed were “The Raven” and “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Poe. The performance also included adaptations of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving, “The Monkey’s Paw” by W.W. Jacobs, “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, and “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” by Mark Twain.

All Richmond County eighth graders from Ashley Chapel, Cordova, Ellerbe, Hamlet and Rockingham schools were welcomed so they could experience a real-life performance that complimented their study of the literature in their English Language Arts classes. The production is one that students from Richmond County have been enjoying for many years, and will hopefully continue to have the opportunity to enjoy.

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“The performance was amazing,” Principal Dr. Theresa Gardner of Rockingham Middle School stated. “It brought to life the text our students are reading.

“This experience of seeing the text come to life is not one they will soon forget,” Gardner continued. “I am happy that the middle schools are able to come together to make this happen for our young people.”

Richmond County teachers are constantly working to make classes more interactive and relatable. Seeing live performances of the literature they are learning helps students engage with the lessons on a whole new level.

As Poe once said, “I would define, in brief, the poetry of words as the rhythmical creation of beauty,” and this production was a great portrayal of the beauty his, and other historical authors, have created.



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