Arts
Activity in the arts stimulates activity in the brain
Through the arts, kids learn to solve problems creatively. They learn to convey information in a variety of ways. They learn to express their ideas and themselves with confidence and energy.
Every class at Krieger Schechter Day School inspires creativity. Our kindergarteners perform skits and draw their own Megillahs. Our seventh graders produce the annual Purim shpiel. Eighth graders create multimedia art projects in their math classes.
It’s all part of our philosophy to uncover knowledge and deepen understanding not only through text, discussion, skills building and self-reflection, but also through drawing, painting, drama and music. At KSDS, the arts are a vehicle for self-expression, a way of enriching knowledge across the curriculum, and a means for deepening each student’s connection to Jewish celebrations, observance and history.
Drama
From playful kindergarten role-playing to the full-scale 8th Grade musical, drama enriches the Krieger Schechter Day School experience. Each year, every grade performs a play in Hebrew and one in English. Plays are an opportunity for parents, siblings, grandparents and friends to share in some of the most precious, and some of the most impressive, showcases of talent and creativity.
Performance highlights in our Lower School include Haggigat HaSiddur, biography presentations, Chumash Celebration, and a Yom Hazikaron program. Formal drama study is introduced in Middle School when students have a rotation of arts electives. Middle School students participate in larger performances, including the Great Fruit Debate and Purim Shpiels (skits on the Book of Esther).
A culmination of their years at KSDS, the 8th Grade Play is a huge event for the entire KSDS community. Parents and alumni join us to watch students perform a musical entirely in Hebrew. Recent productions have included “Wizard of Oz”, “Annie,” “Mulan,” “High School Musical” “Into the Woods” and “Fiddler on the Roof”.
Music
Where would Judaism be without music? We remember blessings and prayers through melodies. We celebrate through song. As much as music is part of the Jewish experience it is part of life at Krieger Schechter Day School.
Kindergarteners discover the connection between music and feelings. Fourth graders learn about jazz and the blues. Whatever the lesson, music for its own sake is part of the KSDS curriculum. It’s also integrated into the dual curriculum as students sing and perform to enhance understanding of subjects from math to social studies to Judaics. By 8th Grade, students have sung dozens of songs and explored as many instruments. They’ve also performed vocally in grade-wide annual plays in English and Hebrew.
We also offer a Lower School Choir (grades 3-4), a Middle School Choir (grades 5-8), and music ensemble groups.
Visual Arts
The hallways of Krieger Schechter Day School are like a rotating exhibit of student artwork. You’ll see pencil drawings and watercolors, collages and mobiles, Papier Mache sculptures decorated with Mod Podge and oil pastels. Works in every medium showcase the skills and techniques our students learn from Kindergarten through 8th Grade. They also highlight the pride and joyful self-expression that accompany art making.
Krieger Schechter Day School places high value on the arts. Students are provided opportunities to come into contact with and create art that is relevant to their experiences and interests. They take risks, experience failure and move into their own success. Our curriculum provides learning that is sequential and cumulative. At every level, students learn to appreciate their own creative efforts as well as the efforts of their peers.