March 28, 2024
Annapolis, US 48 F

Students make impact at state council

Dancing
Acting Ensemble – Annalie Ellis, Alaska Boyer, Jack Morgan, Jordan Massey, Mali Conner, Natalie Lynch, Pearl Coleman, Nyla Thompson, Oriana Chard, Jada Blackmon, Kira Godley, Autumn McCree, Kelsey Diggs

On January 5th, the Junior Class Acting Ensemble performed at the SCCAN Meeting (State Council of Child Abuse and Neglect) in Annapolis as a result of Governor Hogan’s 2017 Maryland Initiative and Task Force. The Performing and Visual Arts Magnet Program is a part of Anne Arundel County Public Schools’ Office of Advanced Studies and Programs. The performance piece embodied the use of a central metaphor, using shadows as the weight that lingers on a victim suffering from child abuse and the confrontation and ultimately, acceptance, of the shadow to move forward with hope for a better future. The piece will tour throughout Maryland in the spring focusing on young adults in GED and College Programs to encourage a better generation of parents and provide light for those engulfed by a shadow of their own.

Throughout the creative process, students came to a roadblock as questions began to arise regarding the system for handling child abuse cases. “We can’t guide victims and families towards the answer if we don’t believe in it ourselves,” commented student Kelsey Diggs. Eventually, the class turned to Claudia Remington, Executive Director of SCAAN, to help navigate our questions. After the students digested the information she shared, it seemed that there was another audience that needed to receive the piece – lawmakers throughout the state and national levels. “There aren’t enough resources for those in need,” stated student Autumn McCree. “We have to reach these people and open their eyes to this massive problem in our state.” In retrospect, many of the students didn’t realize that child abuse was, in fact, a major hindrance of family wellness in the state of Maryland. Autumn continued, “We realize now that this piece has the power to impact audiences. Our debut performance at the State Council really opened my eyes to that possibility.” 

Students and Instructor, Dana Peragallo, will continue to tour the 15-minute performance with accompanying talk back throughout the spring. To schedule a performance at your location, please contact Dana at [email protected].

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