The Arts play a vital role at NewGate. Like all great Montessori schools around the world, we nurture each student’s curiosity, creativity, and imagination. We encourage young people to think for themselves and to find their own voice. The Arts play an important role in achieving our goals.
In addition to integrating art, music, poetry, and drama into our curriculum and after school studios, our students have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of exceptional experiences.
The NewGate school year is highlighted every spring by our annual Youth Opera. This year’s fully costumed production involves the talents of a nationally noted team of youth opera educators, and all of our Elementary student body participates. This year’s performance will be held at The Glenridge Performing Arts Center on April 20.
Since 1995, NewGate’s Elementary students have also produced an annual, full-dress production of a Shakespearian play. This year’s production will be The Taming Of The Shrew, with the live performance at The Glenridge Performing Arts Center on December 8. In addition, our students will normally produce two or more less formal productions over the course of a year. And, of course, we take our students to local plays, performances, and cinema, and we invite local artists to bring their talents to the school.
Secondary students are also involved in play writing and production with local theaters such as Florida Studio Theater and The Asolo Theater. Plays written and produced by our students were selected for public performance twice in the last year alone. One our seniors also took third place in last year’s annual Florida State Poetry Competition.
For several years, our Secondary students have served as the Junior Jury of the Sarasota Film Festival, which has included a month of intensive classes on cinema and criteria for evaluation of competing works. During the week of the festival, the students facilitate the youth programming events at the festival and interact with all the professionals involved in the film industry, gaining a keener sense of visual literacy. As the only school in Sarasota selected by the Film Festival to participate in this manner, our older students take pride in their work and look forward to being an integral part of each year’s celebration of cinematography.
NewGate is a small school when compared to some. But here children can express themselves, learn joyfully, and hold on to their sense of joy and celebration of life.
by Time Seldin
by Time Seldin
NewGate
The International Montessori Academy of Sarasota
NewGate is Partner of Friends of Montessori, a global fundraising program for Montessori schools. The main idea behind this fundraiser is promoting the school and creating awareness for Montessori education in Sarasota and surrounding communities.
