Quitman has Rhythm
There is a changing rhythm afoot at Quitman Street School (just plain ol' "Quitman" to most of us), and it is being led by the students, parents, teachers, administrators and dancers. Dancers!? Yes, and we're not talking about rain dancers, although the school's dancers are moving their bodies to bring about the same level of prosperity and growth as the shamans of the past.
Started several years ago by Sharron Miller, founder/director of Sharron Miller's Academy for the Performing Arts (SMAPA), which is based in Montclair, dance has a key part of the curriculum at Quitman. However, you can make the argument that the program has never been more important and catalytic as it is now for the school, and as tool for Principal Erskine Glover. See, Quitman has been in a fight not only for its survival, but more so for the livelihood of the students and our community. And now that fight has all of its troops, complete with parental support, a forward thinking and inward leaning administration and teacher corp, invigorated and engaged students, and...dancers.
Five years ago, fresh off of a world tour, one of our very own maestros of dance, Maurice Chestnut, became one of the generals in the campaign. Today, under the tutelage of the SMAPA program, he teaches six classes at Quitman, focusing on 2nd and 3rd graders, as well as students with special needs and autism. While apprehensive at first, the eyes and minds of the students became wide open after seeing the praise and admiration of the community after the first recitals and the fact that someone just like them, Maurice, could go from places just like them as a Newarker to the stages of NJPAC and the world. In conjunction with the regular teachers in each class, Mr. Chestnut's class employs the rhythm, movements, and sciences of tap to reinforce the core curriculum around math, physical fitness, and behavior. Just as important, tap exposes the students and their families to a world most did not know still exists and to the doors of so many extracurricular experiences that many never knew could exist at all or TO THEM.
Just as much as he teaches about being in lock-step, Mr. Chestnut teaches about self-efficacy and empowerment that is very much needed in a group of students and a community that was written off as failures just two years ago. And the teachers and the administrators see a difference. The teachers I interviewed reiterated how the "problem child" becomes the model student, and how the "labeled" student becomes a class leader, beaming with the confidence and energy never thought possible. I saw students trying to copy the precision of Riverdance, but with a rhythm all their own and true to their community.
Trained in statistics, for Principal Glover the proof is in more than the test scores, which have gone from the bottom tier to the top in his brief tenure. It is in how the students are engaged and how they interact amongst themselves. It is always about positive reinforcement, with every step, either tap or down the hall, being a learning moment. More than 350 of the school's students participate in some extra part program. Even the teachers have started a dance ensemble, which features 17 girls with the teachers, ranging in category from praise to modern to hip-hop, all tastefully done, as the principal likes to emphasize.
In a world dominated by quantitative analysis, it is impossible to ignore the qualitative results fostered by the programs at Quitman. Besides the rhythm of the feet, the school has partnerships in technology with the likes of Panasonic and even with companies on Wall Street. It is all by design, as Principal Glover and the community redesign the "Brand of Quitman," built upon accountability and a new standard of performance. So whether it is in dance, cinematography, math, English, or just LIFE, the students are given not only the tools of success, but also its expectations, which filter into the students in the form of empowerment.
The students and teachers now have their reasons to come to school every day. The tap and dance programs are integral gears in the system. "It keeps them engaged," as Principal Glover stated, offering them tools to relax in order to receive and interact with more formal education. For the parents, as everyone I interviewed noticed, the program is another point of celebration and engagement.
It may have started with tap, but the stories of these students and our community are no longer known. They now can make it in whatever color or theme they want, all in a socially and emotionally healthy and responsible way. Let's hope it's FUNKY!
