Culture Club engages students in Portland Public Schools

Standing in the center of a noisy fifth-grade classroom at Lyseth Elementary School in Portland, Hannah Cordes gets the students’ attention by placing her thumb on her forehead and wiggling her fingers while she says, “Wapoosh!” The children repeat the goofy gesture—the “Silent Unicorn”—and settle into a seated circle focused on Cordes, education manager for Portland Stage Company, for today’s workshop. “What do you remember about the play?” she asks brightly, referring to Charles Dickens’ Holiday Classic, which the class recently saw at Portland Stage. “I liked the flying bed,” offers one girl. “No offense to Bob Cratchit, but he was acting like a doormat,” says a boy.

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