Connections! This is one of my favorite things and my job is full of opportunities to make these happen in classrooms and experiences with students and faculty. I love it when I can make a good solid connection between myself and others. What I do in my job as director of fine arts here at Darlington is always connected to something in the past, the present, and the future as we work through plans and experiences for our community.
Recently, I had the opportunity to make a connection with actor and alum Kyle Minshew ('97), who was in town for his 25th high school reunion. I had not met Kyle and was thrilled that he stopped by my office one Wednesday afternoon just to say hello and introduce himself. Upon meeting him, I realized that I knew his name and had heard of him through a past conversation with retired faculty member David Powell, and so it was great to put a name with a face, a first connection.
Kyle was interested in finding out how our theater program was going, and I shared the many recent productions and focuses that are supporting our students with real live theater experiences. I also shared the work that Theatre Director Shelley Daniel and her students did during the pandemic and how focusing on a skills-based curriculum in the theater program has been a great way to accomplish the goals we set for the kids. There is always more than one way to learn, and the freedom that a skills-based curriculum allows for is just perfect for how we can venture through challenges in the arts world.
Our discussion led to how Kyle was also able to work through challenges in his world of being a working actor in New York, and I was interested to hear how the skills and experiences that supported him while here at Darlington have played a huge role in the success of his career in acting in film, television and on stage. We talked about the people that influenced his time at Darlington, and I enjoyed making connections with the faculty members that I have had the opportunity to work with like David Powell, George Awsumb, Dan Bishop and Marisa Ortega. All of these have helped me make connections during my time here as well and have supported me in how I work and connect with students and faculty today.
Through further conversation, we were able to invite Kyle to spend time with us on campus the following Friday morning. He had the opportunity to share his experiences with students during office hours and 8th period; he also attended opening night of the fall play. Finding out more about Kyle has given us the chance to think about more ways that Kyle can connect and support students who want to pursue acting or related careers in the film and television industry, and we are excited to have a valuable resource who is on the ground and living those experiences to share with our students. We can’t wait to see where this connection might take us and the value that it can bring to our theater and Cinema class experiences.
Click here to see the photo gallery from Kyle's visit to campus.
Are you a member of the Darlington Community with an interesting career or community involvement? Please email connect@darlingtonschool.org if you are interested in connecting in the classroom.
