News

Spectacular Set Design Showcases Students' Creativity!

Tale as old as time.. Our middle school students are preparing for fantastic performances of Beauty and the Beast on Thursday, February 29, Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2. The drama students aren’t the only ones who have been putting in hard work for the show. Our Art 2 High School students, under the guidance of the art teacher, Nicole Seitz, have spent the past few months designing, creating and painting the play set. 

“Painting the set for the middle school play is an intense collaboration of our Art 2 high school students. It's the first time many have painted anything on that scale. From initial design sketches to final details, students learn to pitch in where needed, but also to take initiative and divide tasks. Whether adding light and shadow to trees or designing lighting or marble floors, our students know what working as a team truly looks like. I'm so proud of this group of artists”, exclaimed Mrs. Seitz. 

This has been such a fun experience for the art students. Freshman Mady Fennessy said, “Being able to work with my friends on such a big project was super fun. I got to know a lot of new people.” 

Make plans to attend this classic fairytale as our middle school students bring this Award-winning animated film to life! You’ll be captivated by the spectacular music, costumes and set design! 

Gem Mining Adventure Unearths Hidden Treasures

They weren't digging for diamonds, but our third grade students were just as excited about the gemstones they discovered last week as "Diamond Del" brought a unique, mobile gem mining experience to PCA! The students participated in a hands-on learning activity about rock and mineral identification and classification.

Inside the special gem mining trailer, students were able to sort through a rushing stream of water and rocks to find gemstones. Once the third graders located the gems and rocks, they were able to select pieces to add to their take-home collections. Some of the rocks and minerals that were found included blue and rose quartz, calcite, hematite, garnets, amethysts and mystery stones.

Benjamin Harden exclaimed, “My favorite part was shaking the box and seeing the minerals just appear out of nowhere!” Isabella Grace Morrow said that she “enjoyed mining because it got to show us what a lot of rocks and minerals look like.”

"Quite often Earth Science is considered boring, but when you have a hands-on exploration activity with "Diamond Del '', Earth Science becomes exciting science! I have never seen students exploding with so much excitement as I did today when they went gem mining,” stated Third Grade Teacher, Christina Brazzell. “Not only were students excited about mining for gemstones and to learn about the different types of minerals and rocks, but they were excited to share their discoveries and wanted to talk about it with others. Active learning, in which students share their learning with others, is the greatest result of hands-on science activities such as "Diamond Del."

This engaging field trip was one that students thoroughly enjoyed! “I liked mining the rocks and identifying them”, said third grader, Amelia Neubauer. William Clark enjoyed “mining and getting to see rocks we don’t normally see.”

What a wonderful opportunity for our PCA third graders!