Seven Arrows Celebrates Its First Decade in Style
Savage animals converge against a vast red sky, as large, hand-painted depictions of Italian basilicas, a cello, a harp, a Navajo rug, and period costumes”representing different cultures and epochs”float above. ‘I eat meat,’ roars a cheetah, ‘especially antelope!’ ‘I am one of the biggest reptiles in the world,’ boasts a Komodo dragon. ‘I am a cat. I am shy and my favorite food is deer,’ a mountain lion confesses. Suddenly, a Great White shark appears. Within each of these wild beasts, there’s a kid inside. But no worries, these children have not been devoured. They are impersonating said animals, in elaborate costumes, constructed themselves to represent their chosen creature, which they have meticulously researched. The occasion is the annual Masquerade, a spring event mounted by Pacific Palisades-based Seven Arrows Elementary, and the stage they stand on is no less than the Broad Stage Theatre in Santa Monica. ‘This is just awesome,’ says Stephen Libonati, the school’s chairman of the board, looking around the $45-million, state-of-the-art theater’s interior. ‘What an incredible way to celebrate our 10th anniversary.’ Libonati can not believe the school’s good fortune to present Masquerade this year at the Broad. (In previous years, it was held at Seven Arrows’ small campus on La Cruz Drive.) The Masquerade has become a metaphor and an extension of the school’s mandate, which uses the performing and fine arts as a vehicle to educate and to celebrate cultural history and diversity.’ At the Broad Stage on this February day, the Masquerade’s 1st- through 3rd-grade portion takes place from 1 to 3 p.m. while the 4th- through 6th-grade performances happen from 6 to 8 p.m. A lobby reception of drinks and sweets rewards the children and their parents after each program. But the true reward”the one that will continue to pay dividends for many decades to come”is the process itself, in which the children employ their creativity to design their costumes from scratch with the assistance of volunteer parents.’ Parents such as art director/teacher Phoebe Sarason and Jenni Gers, whose son, third-grader Harry Gers, a few weeks earlier, was constructing his costume, Cerebus, the three-headed dog guardian at the gates of Hades in Greek mythology. ‘Everyone has to make a speech,’ says Harry, 9, focused on putting the finishing touches on his garb. ‘I’ve seen my son learn a ton,’ Jenni Gers says. ‘He got into reading the mythology.’ ‘It’s so inspirational for the children to integrate culture with their own creativity,’ adds parent Bonnie Meisel. This year, her daughter, Leslie, dresses as a spiritual dog while son Harry portrays Geronimo. Each third-grader has chosen a character from history, mythology or the animal kingdom, designed their costume, and created a speech for their chosen avatar. ‘The children learn through researching,’ says the school’s founder and principal Margarita Pagliai. ‘They make a psychological connection. For example, at the Caves of Altamira in Southern Spain, the prehistoric people drew cave drawings of bison to conquer their fear of beasts.’ Speaking of ‘arrows,’ Jordan Hadley, taking on the personage of Robin Hood, has posted images on the classroom wall of the famed Sherwood Forest folk hero for inspiration. Meanwhile, the sixth-graders paint backdrops. One set designer, Julia Cardenas, has been participating in the Masquerade for seven years. ‘I’ve learned a lot of history and how to do a research report,’ says Cardenas, 11. ‘We write essays. This year, I did a PowerPoint presentation. What I learn in art ties into what I’m learning in history.’ Back on the Broad Stage, Aaron Nigel Smith leads 10 kindergarteners in African drum, capturing the continent’s spirit in an effective, upbeat animal rap called ‘Prehistoric Times.’ Enter the first-graders. Dressed the part of Roman gods, the six- and seven-year-olds step onstage. Ch’ang O, Chinese goddess of the moon, enters the mix, as does the Jade Emperor, Taoist ruler of Heaven. Then Indian god of fire Agni steps forward, followed by Sobek (Egyptian god of crocodiles), Apollo, Achilles, Hephaestus (Greek god of fire and blacksmiths), even a fluffy white Pegasus. After a musical number, it’s time for the second-grade set. ‘I am a very sneaky trickster,’ says Coyote, who is followed by fellow Aztecan figure Opossum and an Apache warrior. Smith leads 16 children, who have constructed their own drums, into chanting: ‘We are at one with the infinite sun forever and ever and ever.’ Pagliai says that music is the poetry to engage children in learning about other cultures and customs and set them on the path to understanding her school’s credo: ‘We’re more alike than different.’ ‘If kids don’t understand that,’ she says, ‘they can not become global citizens.’ For information on the school, visit www.sevenarrows.com˚
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