Name:

A contribution from Suzanne Peterson, Teaching Artist

Subject:

The Quality of Teachers

Date:

20 Jul 2006

Time:

04:23:21 PM -0400

Blog

[A contribution from Suzanne Peterson, Teaching Artist, Littleton, CO.] I am impressed with the quality of the teachers. There are so many young teachers out there who care passionately who care about bringing the arts and a positive experience to young children. Sometimes you hear nothing but negative things about schools and teachers; that they don’t care and that they’re not well educated. That is totally untrue. I would like our legislatures to come and sit in on a conference like this and see what teachers and teaching artists really do.

Name:

A contribution from Leslie Johnson, Teaching Artist

Subject:

Open Mic Night & Poetry Slam

Date:

20 Jul 2006

Time:

04:20:38 PM -0400

Blog

[A contribution from Leslie Johnson, Teaching Artist with the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism] Perhaps my favorite part of the H.O.T. Schools Summer Institute is the annual "open mic" night where all conference participants are welcome to sign up to sing, dance, read poetry, etc., or just enoy being a member of the audience. The night has always brought me to laughter and tears, and this year was no exception. The evening started with our first "Poetry Slam." I'd never been to a "Slam" before, and I have to admit the idea of poetry being "judged" with numerical ratings made me apprehensive, but poet Elizabeth Thomas as M.C. did a fantastic job of keeping the the atmosphere fun, supportive, and energetic. As Elizabeth reminded the crowd, "It's not the points, it's the poetry," and the original words performed for us that night by an administrator, some teachers, and two Teaching Artists ranged from the political to the personal to the whimsical to the emotional. I'd love to see the Poetry Slam continued next year, along with our "open mic." It would impossible for me to pick a favorite from the open mic performances. Maybe the teachers from Pleasant Valley School who read their heartfelt end-of-the-school-year poems dedicated to their students? Anyone listening to these teachers would be moved to the core by the love and honor they feel for their students. Or maybe the third-grade teacher from Lyme who belted out Bonnie Raitt songs with passion, backed up by her band of fellow teachers and parents? They brought the house down. Maybe the Teaching Artist who danced to the words of students' poetry? Throughout the whole "open mic" night, I was moved by the talent and heart not just of the performers but of everyone in the room who clapped and sang and rooted each other on. This event is a great example of the how the arts build community and bring people together.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

Teaching Artists Speak!

Date:

13 Jul 2006

Time:

09:38:32 AM -0400

Blog

A contribution from Suzanne Peterson— (Teaching Artist, Littleton, CO.) “I am impressed with the quality of the teachers. There are so many young teachers out there who care passionately who care about bringing the arts and a positive experience to young children. Sometimes you hear nothing but negative things about schools and teachers; that they don’t care and that they’re not well educated. That is totally untrue. I would like our legislatures to come and sit in on a conference like this and see what teachers and teaching artists really do.” Leslie Johnson— (Teaching Artist, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism) “One thing that is unique about this conference is that it provides us the chance to become learners and students along with experienced educators, artists, and administrators. We embark upon a process of creativity. Everyone gets to jump into a learning experience together as human beings and not just as the “administrator,” “teacher,” or “visiting artist” that we are sometimes labeled as. We all get to experience what its like to be a creator and a learner. Later when I go into a school, as a teaching artist, we (the teachers and I) have that bond. The kids ultimately benefit from that because of the energy and the teamwork that is there between the teacher and I. The kids thrive upon that energy.” Dana Pomfret— (Teaching Artist, Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism) “Classes have been excellent: challenging/fun/rich… More importantly, they’ve given me an opportunity to work far outside my ‘comfort zone’ —and returned me to being a beginner. “If the angel deigns to come, it will be because you have convinced her: not by tears, but by your humble resolve to be always beginning, to be a beginner.” —Rilke Mike Kachuba (Teaching Artist, CT Commission on Culture and Tourism) “Last year was the first time in years I did not have the chance to attend the institute. I couldn’t believe how much I missed it. Coming back this year has reaffirmed me as an teaching artist. I love the opportunity to engage with classroom teachers, other teaching artists and other learners. In the end, we work for the betterment of the world through our work with kids. Thanks H.O.T. Schools.”

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

A contribution from Amy Goldbas

Date:

12 Jul 2006

Time:

09:53:59 PM -0400

Blog

A contribution from Amy Goldbas (Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Arts in Education Program Manager) Artists teaching. Teachers as artists. What inspires us? What drives us and compels us to share our passion? What do we ask of our students? How do we listen to their answers? How do we guide students and teachers with which we work to grasp the teachable moment? Christopher Eaves’ keynote address "The Art of Questions" enticed us to the place of answering even the challenging questions. His completely integrated presentation took me from teacher to artist to child and back. Mr. Eaves’ delivery showed the exquisite tapestry an artist can weave when his belief system, passion and pedagogy are on high.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

A contribution from Teacher, Andrew Basroon

Date:

12 Jul 2006

Time:

09:48:42 PM -0400

Blog

By Andrew Basroon, Myrtle Stevens Elementary School (Rocky Hill, CT.) “The Art of Questions” Christopher Eaves captured the beauty of teaching in his presentation "The Art of Questions." The goal of a teacher is not so much to tell but to stimulate learning and the development of one’s own questions and an understanding of other people’s points of view. His passion and love for the students spoke volumes to me and forced me to rethink some of my approaches to behavior—challenged by students in the heat of the moment. Love and understanding can provide a powerful tool towards reintegrating these students back into the classroom. It is so important to validate student interests, backgrounds and needs. Mr. Eaves’ stories brought tears to my eyes. “Two Kingdoms” Learning conflict resolution through drama by first competing against another team to create a better story line but then coming back to praise the other team through drama that made them feel good about themselves as opposed to being worried whether they were being show up by a better skit. “On visiting the New Britain Museum of American Art” Wonderful to walk through a museum with guided, scaffolded questions that help a group to discuss paintings in a critical and yet approachable manner. —Integration of Art, Science and Writing— Wonderful experience of integrating concepts across the disciplines with very motivated approachable instructors. After learning the scientific properties of light, we saw different applications of these properties in a painting and then carried over these properties into our own writing. Specifically, we wrote responses to a painting in styles corresponding to properties of light: absorption, reflection, and refraction. Absorption required a more factual response to a painting; just a report on what is seen without judgement. Reflection allowed for the writer to apply his/her own views of the painting, what it symbolizes and what it stands for. Refraction asked the writer to express the painting in a poetic or metaphoric perspective—slightly changed just as refracted light is different from its original form.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

A contribution from Teaching Artist Celeste Miller

Date:

12 Jul 2006

Time:

08:23:29 PM -0400

Blog

As I sat in on Christopher’s keynote I was struck profoundly by the artistry that was before me. The power of the artist, in control of his craft. This is what opened me to be able to Hear, Understand, Contemplate the information he was putting out there. As artists, when we are centered in the core of what we are and what we practice. We are able to communicate our connections to what we perceive around us. From the details of protein synthesis to the plight of humankind, when we are in the depth of our art we have the potential for great communication. Especially those who love to be articulate in the annotation of their process as they go. And I thought about our teachers, too. Our best teachers are masters of the art of teaching. As teachers, in the best of their practice, they open for the students the ability to Hear what is being presented. The power of art is to open the pathway for the passage of information. I was also struck by the realization that Christopher’s presentation was the best performance I have seen in a very long time. The best art I have been in the presence of. Better than a high museum, a high symphony, a highly touted arts institution’s presentation. And I thought about the sadness mixed with “well, at least its somewhere in the world." The artists who dare to be in our schools. To practice and share their crafts in the classrooms, in the trenches. It doesn’t always take place on that big fancy stage for a privileged few. It can be right here, right now and as real, profound and Inspiring as it gets. These are revolutionary acts of courage in a time that demands a Revolution.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

The Art of Questions

Date:

11 Jul 2006

Time:

10:36:05 PM -0400

Blog

This morning I presented a keynote address entitled “The Art of Questions.” After the address and throughout the day I welcomed questions and reflections from teaching artists, teachers and principals. Many wished to share with me a personal story that connected to the theme of the address which is that ‘the question is always more important than the answer.’ I shared with the audience several stories of classroom adventures in which students posed to me the most surprising questions imaginable, from the truly existential “where do the souls of babies go when they die?” to well…questions that our educational system deems inappropriate but which I attempt to address in a manner that honors both the student and the inquiry. No question should be ignored no matter how brutal, frank, difficult, or inciting. And we, as teaching artists should never fault ourselves for not having a ready-made answer. Once after sharing a story, of an incident during which I was asked a particularly difficult question by a child, with a classroom teacher she responded to me, “You deserved that question. You deserved it because you painted yourself into a corner through an ‘open-ended’ question.” What corner? I don’t have a corner behind me. Why are we afraid of open-ended questions? I even need to question this term open-ended as every question is (potentially) open-ended. Even the most obvious questions with only a little thought can reappear as open-ended. We call ourselves teachers. We call ourselves teaching artists. We call ourselves artists. That is the very nature of our pursuit. We shake, rattle and roll with questions. What else is there? Look back to Socrates and his student Plato (who thankfully recorded for us the thoughts of his teacher.) Their ideas shape the way we think, converse and inquire. Skip the Q&A. How about a Q&Q? The Socratic method. Principals in the H.O.T. schools network want teaching artists and teachers to engage our students in H.O.T. questions. But, what makes a question H.O.T.? Perhaps Bloom’s Taxonomy can lead us to the answer or at least to a more informed inquiry. Wait, let’s back up, what is the ‘art of questions?’ I believe Eric Booth fielded that question earlier in the week. The art of any ‘thing’ is the process of doing that ‘thing’ exquisitely. I had gathered last week (via email) from the H.O.T. participants answers to the following question: “What is the most important question a child as ever asked you, and why?’ I presented the teaching artists answers to these questions during my address. It was fascinating how many of the questions would fit perfectly within Gardner’s M.I. And most of the questions were existential in nature. The most common question that I received (by 75%) was “Why are we doing this?” I love this question. Existential. What is the meaning of this activity? What a fundamental and elegant question! And a H.O.T. answer to this question could satiate the child’s immediate inquiry and inform his/her cognitive processes in such a way to promote further inquiry. As I continue to converse and ruminate upon these very questions…well, more questions arise. I must pause here for I have to inquire about another matter. Why?

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

Kathleen Gaffney’s Two Kingdoms

Date:

11 Jul 2006

Time:

09:51:49 PM -0400

Blog

Kasey Shea, who observed this workshop on Monday afternoon, submitted this entry to me. • Object Transformation: turning one object into another through physical action and sound • Find innovative ways in which to group your students or participants: group by who is wearing sandals, black, denim, everything else • Families assign themselves the roles within their families and the social responsibility of each role (ex: I am a child. I am a mother. I am a hunter. I am a fisherman.) • When you hear laughter, you may take it as a signal that the group is now ready to proceed • Four things that civilizations value: Loyalty, Wisdom, Courage, and Generosity • History of the Two Kingdoms: After a time of living together peacefully, your kingdoms were separated. A crevice emerged between you. You are now “two kingdoms” • Each kingdom chooses a single most important value: Loyalty, Wisdom • Each kingdom will have a dancer, a poet, a musician • Each kingdom will give itself a name • Each kingdom creates a poem, a dance, a song • Each kingdom creates a throne appropriate for their king • Each kingdom creates an entrance presenting the other • Each kingdom sends three people to the river. While at the river these representatives must say what they like most about the other kingdom • Warrior Battles: Each Kingdom sends a representative to do battle with a warrior from the other kingdom. These are creative battles of the mind and of the body. • One kingdom is decided the winner at the conclusion of the three battles. • At the height of conflict the two kings declare a pact of peace and unity. • This angers the people who resist change and collaboration.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

Teaching Artists Gather

Date:

10 Jul 2006

Time:

09:40:09 PM -0400

Blog

In the early afternoon H.O.T. school Teaching Artists gathered to touch base, share questions and concerns and to welcome new Teaching Artists to the H.O.T. T.A. community and the roster. New artists were welcomed after which all present T.A’s introduced themselves and their artistic disciplines. The following is a loose transcript of the meeting. While I will not attribute individual quotes to individuals but I believe that upon reading the following one may have a general sense to the meetings narrative. “These institutes are a place to not be afraid and to try something. To try things out.” “I’m a writer. I’ve been working with the H.O.T. schools for seven or eight years. What I like most is folding a science or social studies curriculum into writing. Every time I come to H.O.T. institute I think I must somehow know it all but when I get here I realize that I don’t know anything. I love that. I love working with the other artists because it gives me a bravery. The collaborations have been fun and wonderful.” “We work with Grade K through high school. We work to develop a sense of suspense to get the students interested. We show them the story through performance and character and tableau before they read the story. And so after our presentation they cannot wait to read the book.” “Yes, Friday we finished (our presentation) and Monday they read the book so there’s no down time.” “You have to teach them the theater skills, tableau, pantomime and dialogue in one week.” “I think it’s more important to present one concept that they really, really understand.” “Remember what Eric Booth said yesterday, “Engagement before information.” “And remember how Kathleen Gaffney said this morning that synapses that grow in the presence of emotion are stronger.” “How do you integrate your discipline with what the teacher is looking for?” “I look at what are they hoping to attain from this residency. Be very open to listening to the teachers and what is it that they want to achieve. Then you think, “Well I have this exercise that will address that.” “I had a planning meeting with teachers thinking that we were going to talk about a residency dealing with song writing. That was the farthest thing from what they wanted to talk about. They wanted a residency that dealt with westward expansion. And so we began to explore the history of music and music collections from that event the appropriate time period(s). We took this whole idea of the story and created this play that was amazing. We addressed cultural and transportation issues…this came about so well because I listened to the teachers.” “It really sounds like you’re creating something from nothing in that situation.” “But, yes, these residencies are a lot of work. They are a lot of work. You need to reinvent it every time to tailor it.” “At one point I regrouped. I wrote a small book. I put things in containers, like how to teach first graders about farm life using a cereal box. After a while you start to find these arrangements even though at first you don’t know they’re really there. You have to see what you do and then find your formula from within.” “I want to drop this resource: The Connecticut Frameworks at the Connecticut Department of Education…the standards. The teachers will appreciate that you’ve read and are versed in this.” “The work I have to before hand is to really interview the teachers. Who is interested in what? Then I create the programs so that they work geographically and then how to make them cohesive with the different curricula. Does this school want science? Does this school want Math? We can only do what we can do.” “This can work if the teachers can tell you what they want to cover.” “The paperwork asks the teachers questions in a very specific framework that will help you. For instance, “We really want the children to work on voice or we really want the children to work on characterization.” Then you develop art strategies.” “You’re not just giving a show but forming a learning process with the teachers and the kids. This isn’t you knowing what you can do, it’s forming a team and a collaborative process. Just because a teacher says “We want to do this,” doesn’t mean that you have to drop everything you do and do well. It is a give and take. A partnership.” “I had a principal that said you are going to, as a writer/teaching artist, teach the expository writing prompt. But I came at it from a completely different direction so that the students didn’t even see the activity as expository writing.” “We’re giving them another portal. Another way to look at it.” “Be very true to your own voice. Bring that and you’ll find your way.” “What about when you’ve got two different grades and two different themes. We’ve learned that to is just too much and we cannot do that anymore. That jeopardized us incredibly and we’ve learned to say no to that. Unless the over-arching theme is the same and you can associate and relate the lessons for the two different grades.” “What’s the process of…’cause I know that you mentioned forms.” “Oh yes, there are a lot of forms!” “You have an offsite planning day in October where you actually put in your dates. A core residency is 17 days and you are in the school working 4 hours each day. It could be every day or twice or even once a week.” “This year I would like to work in fewer class room for longer periods of time. You can just get so much more done.” “If we did an hour and a half and then had a common period at the end of the day with the teachers so that we can talk about what went well and strategies….and this will help us bring new teachers in to let them see what we’re doing and see if they can contribute strategy ideas.” The meeting then concluded as another event began. _____________ It was intriguing, as a Teaching Artist, to document this meeting. As the participants gathered their belongings I heard a T.A. express how isolated it can be…this profession. I agree. The T.A. is often the only one in her/his profession at a site (school) saddled with the responsibility to communicate with the student body, the faculty and the administration. I thrive on this structure however. I enjoy the autonomy and the shared responsibility. The T.A. must gather and assess information very quickly as our residencies are often brief and our planning opportunities even more brief. It is a great challenge. “How strong and profound can I make this engagement?” I often think of it as a limited run with full audience participation. And instead of receiving applause at the finale I applaud the audience. They have unwittingly taken the spotlight as I have guided them to center stage and directed them toward their own magnificent potential.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

With Regard to Passion

Date:

10 Jul 2006

Time:

04:43:31 PM -0400

Blog

In sharing the highlights of Kathleen Gaffney’s keynote address I failed to mention that at her conclusion she suggested that today may be her final H.O.T. keynote address due to her new position as artistic director of Studio Arena Theatre in Buffalo, NY. There was a gasp that rolled through the auditorium. It was quick, quiet, and it made me shudder. It was evidence of the H.O.T. school community’s interconnectedness and of how we have come to love, respect and rely on the inspirational and informative contact with our H.O.T. peers. Most of all it reminded me of the power of passion. Upon meeting Kathleen Gaffney more than a decade ago I was instantly drawn to her by her passion. Amy Goldbas and Bonnie Koba (Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Arts in Education Program Managers) have single-handedly (actually, they have four arms between them) cultivated and motivated a league of artists and educators to evoke strong arts, arts integration and democratic practice in the Connecticut public school system. How? They did it with passion. We are united by our beliefs and behind our beliefs flows passion. It is passion that inspires my students to shout out, “Mr. Eaves!” when I enter their classrooms, as if I were some great gift bestowed upon them. What they are crying out for is in fact my passion. Passion engages our life force. Creation is an act of passion. Art is proof of passion. Who wouldn’t want to surround themselves with passionate individuals, to participate in passionate endeavors? H.O.T. school teaching artists realize this. The students realize this. It is my hope that as we continue on our journey to enrich the lives of children that someone somewhere decides to value and assess the passion.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

Decoding The Art of Higher Order Thinking Through Multiple Intelligences

Date:

10 Jul 2006

Time:

03:51:16 PM -0400

Blog

Kathleen Gaffney, co-founder and artistic director of Artsgenesis began her Monday morning keynote address with, “we’re going to go back to the beginning of H.O.T. schools,” after which she led participants through an interactive and insightful journey into Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Here are some highlights from her address “Decoding The Art of Higher Order Thinking Through Multiple Intelligences.” • Bloom’s Taxonomy—K.C.A.A.S.E.Y.: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. • Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences: Logical/Mathematical, Visual/Spatial, Linguistic, Musical, Bodily/Kinesthetic, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalist, and Existential. • Learning Domains: Cognitive, Affective, Psychomotor. • A working understanding of M.I. helps one recognize the people around you. • A pyramid of Linguistic intelligence in the Arts: (from the bottom to the top the pyramid) Educators, Sales People, Journalists, Essayist, Playwrights, Poets. • If you find that your students are having difficulty understanding you, then move to the light. If a child cannot see your lips moving then they cannot hear you. Make sure they can see your face and there are not (bright) windows behind you. • Dr. Daniel Goldman cites a deficit in our students’ Interpersonal intelligence. The arts are a major therapy and catalyst to decrease this deficit. • This institute is really about your Intrapersonal intelligence. By expressing yourself in a variety of ways this week you will be able to catch up with who you are right now. • “The Sacred Bundle” (Jane Goodall) Take those things that have enduring or profound effects on you, or things that symbolize enduring or profound effects, and gather them all into one place. This will support your Intrapersonal intelligence. • Bloom’s Taxonomy and the Higher Order Thinking Skills…where do they intercept? I think they fuse through the arts. Kathleen then led participants through an explanation of “gesture,” a group “mirror” exercise and through a “gesture story” using The Western Expansion as her narrative. Some teachers and teaching artists were in tears and the end. • The “gesture story” is application and shows one’s comprehension of the idea of character, understanding of situation and environment. This is “synthesis!” • When we learn in the presence of strong emotion the synapses that form are stronger. Usage of strong emotion comes naturally with the arts. At the conclusion of her address Kathleen announced her new position as artistic director of Studio Arena Stage in Buffalo, NY to which the audience responded with applause. She told everyone that when she began working with H.O.T. schools thirteen years ago that she began her first address with the poem “To Teach” and that she would conclude her address today with that same speech. The poem, by the Native American Lone Wolf speaks to the unity of education of art and the art of teaching in a whole society. It was a moving moment and was a reminder of the power of arts education and also of the power, commitment and perseverance of so many gifted educators, artists and parents who have worked to keep the H.O.T. schools strong these many years.

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

Monday morning. La. Laaa. LaLaLaLa.

Date:

10 Jul 2006

Time:

06:52:58 AM -0400

Blog

Trouble sleeping last night. Tossed and turned until 3:00AM. This is a signal that my H.O.T. self is officially awake. Not so much a matter of anxiety but rather that my mind is processing the unusually large amount of information that I have received in the last two days. I arrived here on Saturday morning to attend a pre-institute orientation and planning session for persons facilitating Morning Tracks that will take place for three-hours each day over the next four days. I will facilitate “Embodying Understanding—Mime Fundamentals.” Around 4:30AM I woke to the sound of thunder. This soothed me. Reminded me of other unstoppable powers. The third strike of thunder was preceded by a flash of lightening that I saw only through my eyelids. Woke at 6:00AM. Just stepped outside for some coffee. The conference center P.A. played a Muzac arrangement of “I did it my way” that was so syrupy that it made me want to do it someone else’s way. H.O.T. participants are beginning to stir. On Wednesday I will present a keynote address entitled “The Art of Questions.” The floor of my room is lined with papers filled with citations, notes and narratives. Per my request, Bonnie Koba (Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Arts in Education Program Manager) sent out an email blast to participants before the start of the H.O.T. institute with this question; “What is the most important question that a child has ever asked you, and why?” The email responses have been thoughtful and informative. I am taking the responses and allowing them to affect the overall shape of my keynote; to inform it with the hope that the keynote itself is aligned and in direct dialogue with the professional experience of the H.O.T. participants. Meanwhile, speaking of questions, I will end with these two: Is it okay to tell a lie? Is it okay to tell a lie if it saves the world?

Name:

Christopher Eaves

Subject:

The H.O.T. Institute • SUN 7/9/06

Date:

09 Jul 2006

Time:

11:06:14 PM -0400

Blog

The Higher Order Thinking (H.O.T.) Schools Institute officially began today with a welcome by Amy Goldbas (Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism Arts in Education Program Manager) who told participants “think of this week as a respite and a powder keg!” Eric Booth followed with a keynote address that definitely put some powder in my keg. I will list here highlights from his address with the hope that even though they have been extracted from their original context that they still have (for you, the reader) context! • Keep pushing the edge of quality and the refinement of processes. • Originally the arts were the highest expression of ANY endeavor. This we need to reclaim. • The most important thing is the VERBS OF ART. • Pedagogy: from Roman tradition. A pedagogue was a slave who led citizen’s children to and from school and kept an eye on their learning. Today, from the artistic director to the usher, we are all pedagogues; we are all agents of artistic experience. • We are NOT purveyors of artistic nouns! • Skill: the capacity to make a distinction. • Make stuff. Be the thing. • To “satisfice”: to accept the first plausible solution that comes along. To “satisfice” eliminates (or at least limits) the possibility of creative accomplishment. • Courage: the full range of the human heart. It is not just about bravery but also about fullness and fullness of experience. • If one cannot pose interesting questions (questions of Higher Order Thinking) then one will not find interesting results. • Belligerent Literalism…This was my favorite term from the day! It reminds me of the following written by Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The walls of rude minds are scrawled all over with facts…subdued by the drill of school education.” • Yearning: we’re in the yearning business…to wake up yearning in young people. • Bravo: first called out when witnessing a performer take a great risk. “Kids, if you see someone take a great risk, then you yell “Bravo!” to reward their risk taking!” And thus, the 2006 H.O.T. institute is underway. The rest of the day was filled with workshops, dinner, a performance, social games and a movie. Tomorrow starts soon…and so off to rest we go. Much needed respite for the powder keg.