August 10, 2006 Issue                                       

©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

The Back To School Section...

Back To The Future
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

As I watch my five-year-old brother and sister prepare for their first first-day-of-school, I am reminded of my own 16 years of first days that have now come to a close, replaced by much more daunting first-days on a new job, or first dates, or, worse yet, first reunions!

Allens Lane will hold fall classes with building renovation project expected to start in November

The Allen’s Lane Art Center’s ballet class poses during dress rehearsal for their final perfonce at the art center’s community art festival.

The Allens Lane Theater season has been cancelled for the year, but will return in fall 2007 with a grand re-opening after the theater undergoes dframatic physical improvements. The improvements were made possible because of $ 1 million state grant. The grant was secured by State Senator LeAnna Washington. Because work will be going on in the entire building, some programming changes have been made for fall and the remainder of the season is still under discussion. The fall session of classes will be held, though some will run only six weeks instead of the usual eight.

Hatch Dance Theater performs in the Philadelphia Fringe Festival

Germaine Mancke

Hatch Dance Theater is a little school in Chestnut Hill with big dreams. With Founding Director Germaine Mancke at the helm, Hatch’s ride has been unprecedented.

Germaine Mancke started Hatch with a grant from the 5-County Arts Fund in 2002. She teaches classes at Hatch for as young as two years up through adult professional. Hatch offers a full schedule of dance and acting classes as well as a student teacher program and a youth performance company directed by Germaine. Hatch the Company will be dancing in The Philadelphia Fringe Festival this September.

Mancke’s landmark strides and steadfast dedication make her classroom experiences appealing to both boys and girls who love moving and have an educational curiosity. Hatch’s bright and colorful studio is a place where both girls and boys get to jump high and move strongly.

A show of talent at Miquon

A bright spring day, an outdoor stage, and an enthusiastic crowd of performers and audience – the perfect setting for The Miquon School’s Talent Show. Not your typical talent show, this one. There are no auditions, no selection committee, no limits on what constitutes a “talent.” Every child, from the youngest three year-old in Miquon’s nursery class, to the graduating sixth graders, is invited to participate. The annual event is organized and em-ceed with skill and patience by music teacher John Krumm. He manages to weave together a constantly-changing assortment of acts into a magical morning of fun.

Mount St. Joe’s: making a difference in Mississippi

The Mount Saint Joseph Academy students took a break at Christine’s Restaurant. The group spent their spring break by contributing their time to relief efforts in a Mississippi town demolished by Hurricane Katrina.

Most teenage girls dream of spending Spring Break soaking up the sun in exotic locales. Yet, for 10 students from Mount Saint Joseph Academy in Flourtown, their Spring Break dream was to bring a message of hope to people living along the Gulf Coast. When Hurricane Katrina battered Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana in the waning days of August 2005, the destruction and chaos caused by this storm affected thousands — many who already faced socio-economic challenges. It was clear to the students of the Mount that their kindness and generosity was needed by those whose lives had been forever changed by Katrina.