Recently, SIUE East St. Louis Charter School students seemingly set a stage that could have been at The Globe Theater in London, England in the 1500s. The purpose was to show what they had learned and the method was the Charter School’s first Shakespearean Competition.
Sixteen high school students competed earlier this month, reciting monologue from various Shakespeare plays. Some students spent time after school to rehearse with Charter School instructor Candice Jackson.
Bre’Anna Armstrong, a sophomore, who spent a lot of time learning the material, won first place. Bre’Anna portrayed the character Helena in the comedic Shakespearean play, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Cheyenne Perry, a junior, took second place, for her rendition of Titania in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Placing third in the competition was Jhirmel Wysinger, a senior, for his depiction of the Prince Escalus in “Romeo and Juliet.”
“The students were judged on their understanding of the text, their communication to the audience and their artistic ability,” Jackson said.
“They did well performing in front of their peers. I was pleasantly surprised. Some performed better than they’ve done in class.”
After winning Charter School’s contest, Bre’Anna advanced to the St. Louis Competition at Webster University and competed against other high school students in the Metro East.
“Bre’Anna didn’t place, but received excellent feedback from the judges,” Jackson said. “I was interested in the students learning and getting an appreciation of great literature, and I think they did.”
“As far as the language is concerned, I told them they could consider the Shakespearean English as slang, because it’s outdated now,” Jackson continued.
“To understand it, one has to look at what things meant back then and plug it into current situations. Eventually, we will have to do the same thing with the students’ slang of today.”
Genomic Careers Resource
To help students planning their professional careers understand the opportunities in the fields of genetics and genomics, the National Human Genome Research Institute recently launched the Genomic Careers Resource on the institute’s Web site, genome.gov.
The careers resource showcases nearly 50 career opportunities through video interviews, career
profiles, tools to rate potential career choices, and an interactive game.
The Genomic Careers Resource Web site, available at www.genome.gov/GenomicCareers, is aimed primarily at high school and college students.
Once users are familiar with the resource, they can take the Genomics Challenge. This quiz randomly selects six videos featuring students already pursuing careers in genomics and genetics. While the video is playing, the user must determine what career the student is pursuing and select it from a list of career titles. At the end, a score is given.
Carla Easter, Ph.D., NHGRI science education specialist who led the effort., said, “There are many resources available to students who are making science career decisions, but few that allow them to get an authentic sense of what lies before them as does the Genomic Careers Resource.”
The National Human Genome Research Institute is one of 27 institutes and centers at the National Institutes of Health, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. Additional information about NHGRI can be found at its website, www.genome.gov.
