The PTA sponsors a variety of cultural arts events throughout the school year for the students to learn from and to enjoy.

2019/2020 Cultural Arts Events

Chatham Arts Council - Artists in Schools

Mike Wiley

October 2019

Nationally known theater artist Mike Wiley was at our school as part of the Chatham Arts Council’s Artists-in-Schools Initiative. The Artists-in-Schools Initiative, in partnership with Chatham County Schools, has been bringing professional artists into Chatham schools to support math, science, language, and history curricula since the 2015–2016 school year. Read more about it here: https://www.chathamartscouncil.org/artists-in-schools/.

Mike Wiley wove literacy and history curriculum into his performance of 'Jackie Robinson: A Game Apart' and classroom workshops for the fifth grade.

2018/2019 Cultural Arts Events

Rags To Riches Theatre Group

November 2018

The Rags to Riches Theatre Group was recently on hand at Perry Harrison, performing Stone Soup for our Kindergarten and First Graders!

This production is an adaptation of the Grimm Folk Tale. On the way to the City School, a young mouse, Scurvy, gets hungry and tries to find some animals to share some food with her. Everyone is greedy and stingy. When she speaks of her magic stone left from the soup she had at the King’s table, everyone suddenly changes their tune! Scurvy convinces the animals in the town that by sharing there is more than enough food for everyone, and they can have fun doing it!

Rosemarie Gulla, Author
On the Wings of the Swan

December 2018

Through funding from the PTA, we are lucky to have Rosemarie Gulla visit our classrooms for her interactive story telling sessions! Ms. Gulla recently presented her own fairy tale, On the Wings of the Swan, to our Kindergarten classes.

Three glass hearts help to underscore the motivations and actions of characters. One heart is red and embodies the hero, the heroine. One heart is green with envy, cold and frosty, and belongs to the villain. One heart represents the cause and effect of having the green hearted character interact with the hero. It is half full and half empty. A once discouraged heart can be encouraged and filled again.

The first part of the story is told to the children and the second part of the story is acted out by some of the children. The story ends with a few pieces of the plot left dangling!

Check out these photos from Ms. Gulla's visit to Kindergarten.

African American Dance Ensemble

February 2019

The African American Dance Ensemble from Durham performed for the 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade classes, sharing phrases from African languages, teaching about African musical instruments, and showcasing traditional African dances. Students and teachers got the chance to participate in the music making and dancing during this fun assembly!

"The African American Dance Ensemble has been the leader of traditional African Dance and Music for over 30 years. With innovative and strong approaches to the service of our community for the benefit of Education, Entertaining, Health Initiatives and Outreach, we continue the legacy of Community through the Performing Arts. The African American Dance Ensemble uses dance and music to bring awareness to the inequities in our community and through our ART, create a positive change."

Visit http://www.aade-inc.org/index.html to learn more about the African American Dance Ensemble.

Billy Jonas Concert

March 2019

Billy Jonas, a "funky folk musician" from Asheville, NC, performed for all grade levels on March 7th.

He began the concert with a song challenging everyone to "put more love in the world today", then he got the students chanting, "Who's gonna make some music? We're gonna make some music!". Billy told the audience, "Everybody's in the band,"! He had the crowd clapping, stomping, and singing along with his beats and creative lyrics. He played his guitar and several percussion instruments he made from recycled materials, and he told a story using his talking drum. It was a fun and lively afternoon of music making at Perry Harrison!

Visit https://www.billyjonas.com/ to learn more about Billy Jonas and the Billy Jonas Band.