Festival of Arts Offers Valuable Student Experience

Before the written word was developed, our ancestors communicated with pictures, music and oral recitations to convey the important truths about their world to the next generation. Yet, with the advent of the written word, art and music continued, but the practice of recitations slowly diminished as people preferred the permanence of written communication.

However, for the second year in a row, the St. Joseph Catholic Academy revived the tradition of recitations at its Festival of Arts in March. In addition to over 500 fine arts projects and several musical selections including voice choirs, handbells and recorders, there were recitations of Bible verses, poems and prayers.

Teachers selected pieces for students in each grade level from kindergarten through high school. The three elementary schools collaborated, and each grade level performed the recitations together at the festival.

“The festival recitations are especially fun because it showcases skills that not all children learn at a young age,” said Natalie Newville, Academy president.

Krystyn Schmerbeck, director of the graduate programs in classical education at Benedictine College, said she was happy to see recitations added to the festival last year and continued this year. She said recitation and memorization are a large part of students developing a deeper understanding of the world around them.

“When they recite important works, the goal is to understand what they are reciting, not just memorizing it,” she said. “It also equips children with confidence in speaking.”

Krystyn noted that recitation also expands students’ vocabularies and develops their public speaking skills. Additionally, it helps students connect with their own experiences and stretches their abilities.

“It is a fundamental part of the curriculum for a Catholic liberal arts education,” she said.

Some of the festival recitations included “One Solitary Life,” Psalm 23, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, the Nicene Creed, Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and “Lovely Lady Dressed in Blue.”

“It takes a lot to memorize a recitation, and then get up on stage to recite it,” Natalie noted. “The students all worked so hard at it.”

Brianna Kostick, teacher at St. Francis Xavier School, had memorized the poem, “One Solitary Life” by James Allen Francis when she was a Catholic school eighth-grader. She remembered that the piece had an impact on her, and suggested it for the fifth-graders to perform at the festival. “It all came back quickly,” she said with a smile.

Brianna noted that the first step in the month-long preparation before the festival was to read the poem in class and discuss it so the students could understand it. Then they broke the poem up in sections, and students worked with a partner to recite it separately several times, then with their partner, and then as a class. Brianna also tested the students where they had to write out sections of the poem, and encouraged them to practice it at home.

“I told them they had to practice in front of an audience, whether that was a family member, a mirror or a dog.”

Brianna said she sees a lot of value in memorization and public recitations, but believes schools have gotten away from both, even since she started teaching 12 years ago. She is happy it has become an annual component of the Festival of Arts.

“It was great seeing the students so excited to share the recitation and their proud ‘lightbulb moments’,” Brianna said. “Some of them said they were nervous before they went on stage, so it was good for them to get out of their comfort zone for a moment.”

Dr. Karen Hopson, associate superintendent of schools for the diocese, said the first festival of arts in the spring of 2023 was created as a way to bring the entire Academy together for an event, but it did not include every student. The next year, she said, they wanted to include all students and decided that recitations would also be a valuable addition.

“The Festival of Arts was wonderful,” Natalie said. “I love seeing our entire student body and their parents come together for an Academy event. The students like doing projects with students from the other campuses, and it gives our community an opportunity to support our students in the arts.”