Over the past three years, Upper School students enrolled in Digital Mass Media print media and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme collaborated on a Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) project in partnership with the Young Patronesses of the Opera (YPO). Together, they created a modern, virtual booklet around Scott Joplin’s opera, “Treemonisha.” The booklet was set to be part of the YPO’s Opera Funtime series, which introduces the genre to young readers through art, music, and engaging activities, and was so well received, it will now have an even greater impact on the community.
Students began work on this project in 2021, researching “Treemonisha” and creating original artwork and writing to tell the story of the opera in a way that elementary readers would easily understand. This year, Valeria Castillo ‘23 and Mia Carrasco ‘23 took over the project, finalizing the story and creating an extension booklet of games, activities, and teacher resources. They also created a Spanish version of the book, making it accessible to students enrolled in the ESOL program in public schools. Recently, Valeria and Mia presented their book at the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ music teacher district workshop, where they learned that not only would this creation be used by teachers, but as an official publication under the Opera Funtime series, the book would receive an ISBN number and be registered in the Library of Congress!
