{all photos by Nikol Rochez}
SLOCA hosted a “legendary” Sleepy Hollow event a couple of weeks ago for our middle school students – here’s a look at this wonder-filled evening!
Students in 5th-8th grade from both tracks began arriving at the SLOCA High School campus around dusk for a read-aloud of the eerie yet humorous Washington Irving classic, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. What a treat to be able to use such a welcoming and beautiful space. (Thank you, SLOCA High School!)
Ghostly decorations, tables laden with good and ghoulish things to eat, (both thanks to our creative SLOCA parents!), and the approaching darkness all set the stage to enjoy this slightly spooky story together. Glow sticks were handed out at the door, and guests filed in to find a spot on the lawn for their chairs and blankets.
After eating and socializing a bit, the main event began. A few volunteer teachers and parents took turns reading aloud until every word of the story had been told. The students listened respectfully, laughed in all the right places, and appeared to be following the tale, even though the 19th century language was challenging at times. Slides featuring illustrations from different versions of the story accompanied the reading, adding to the ambience and appreciation of the narrative.
As a participating parent, I was struck by how extraordinary it was that this large group of middle schoolers decided to spend a Friday evening listening to a classic book. Who does this? (SLOCA kids, that’s who!) While these are typical, high-energy kids who love to be together and joke and play and run around, when it came time to pay attention, they settled down and actively listened to a somewhat difficult piece of literature. It was a little magical…
Sitting under the stars among these students and listening to beautifully-written language together was a pleasure. Thank you, SLOCA, for providing this enriching experience for our middle schoolers!
