LEADERS take to the Stage

This year, Mary Rigg Neighborhood Center is piloting the LEADERS (Leadership, Expression, Appreciation, Development, Exploration, Respect, Service) Program which is designed to empower a group of up youth ages 11-13 to become leaders in their community by exploring career fields, by learning positive methods of self-expression, and by giving back to the community through weekly community service projects.

For the weeks of June 16-27, the LEADERS theme is "Theatre and Art." Read the posting below from one of our LEADERS to see what all the LEADERS have been up to:


"We've been really busy with the Theatre and Art theme weeks. On Friday we went to Indy Improv on Mass Ave. It's a really cool part of the city. We got to get up on stage and perform. We learned how to act out different emotions and then we walked across the stage acting out all different emotions. Also we learned the names of the different parts of the stage--upstage and downstage, ya know.

On Monday we went to the Civic Theatre to see Alice in Wonderland. It was cool to get to see a performance on a huge stage. The play was really funny.

Then today we went to Butler University to see Clowes Hall and the campus. Clowes Hall is where the symphony sometimes performs and they have a lot of musicals and plays. They took us all behind the scenes on the stage and we really got to see what a big stage is like. We learned all about the cameras and the lighting and the history of the hall. We got to see the dressing rooms and the Green Room--that's where the actors hang out before the show starts. We also got to see how the stage elevator works and we got to go down 30 feet. It was pretty cool."

Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

*As told by 5 year old summer day camp participant

"Today we made bee costumes out of paper bags and paint and pipe cleaner things. We put on our costumes and our headbands and we went all around the building buzzing like bees and we even had stingers. We learned that bees sting and they fly and they make honey and they say 'buzz.' Then we went to the library and learned more about bees and we got to watch Bee Movie. It was so much fun."

Swimming, Capture the Flag, and Channel Six

*Excerpt from 11 year old Day Camp Participant participating in the LEADERS program, a program designed for 11-13 year olds that emphasizes career exploration, positive self-expression, and leadership and service opportunities.

"Earlier this week we went to Channel 6 to watch them record the news--it was really cool. They were talking about the weather and all of the flooding that's going on. There's not actually a map on the screen--it's really cool--the weather lady was pointing at a blank screen. The screen can be all sorts of different colors--there's really just not a map! We had to be really quiet while they taped the news. While we were there we learned about the different jobs that you can have in the news."

"We also went swimming---it's really hot outside, and we've been playing Capture the Flag. Today our team tied the other team. Maybe we'll win tomorrow."