News Release

EVENT MEDIA ADVISORY / April 17, 2009

Photo Opportunity

What: Boise State Service-Learning students direct Lowell Elementary students in Shakespeare play
When and where: 1:45 p.m. Friday, April 17, at Lowell Elementary and 6:30 p.m. April 21 at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Annex (516 S. 9th St.)
Who: Contact Matthew Hansen, professor of English, (208) 426-1215 or matthewhansen@boisestate.edu

Boise State students from professor Matthew Hansen’s English classes have been working with fourth, fifth and sixth graders at Lowell Elementary School teaching them about Shakespeare and rehearsing a shortened version of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.” The young students will perform before an audience of parents, teachers and their peers at the school on April 17 and then at the Esther Simplot Performing Arts Center Annex on April 21. Boise State students also have helped with costumes and set design, and the performances promise to be both visual and entertaining.

Hansen’s English classes are among 64 classes offered at Boise State this spring that include a service-learning component. Boise State faculty integrate service-learning into their courses, making community involvement an essential part of the curriculum. Hansen’s project encourages students to explore the cultural importance of Shakespeare and to challenge assumptions that Shakespeare is a commodity reserved for cultural elites. Helping elementary students to learn, understand, and perform Shakespeare is a way to empower them, enhance their vocabulary, confidence and teamwork skills, and have a tremendous amount of fun.

The Boise State Service-Learning office contributed grant funds for costumes and sets. This semester alone, about 1,000 Boise State students are actively engaged with a number of community organizations through service-learning. From art to engineering, students are applying coursework to community needs. A study by the Higher Education Research Institute found that performing community service as part of a course significantly increases academic performance and commitment to activism.

For more information, please contact Sherry Squires, Boise State Communications, 426-1563, ssquires@boisestate.edu

Boise State University is “The New U Rising” with record student enrollment, new academic buildings, additional degree programs and a growing research agenda. Learn more at www.boisestate.edu.
 

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Last reviewed on Friday, April 17, 2009