Wow!  Have 30 years gone by fast!  It seems like yesterday when a small group of Andover PTO mothers brainstormed S.H.A.R.E  Day (See How the Arts Reaches Everyone) into existence. They wanted to find a way to bring the children together with the wonderful artists and craftspeople of all kinds living in Andover and nearby. Before the school year was done, they had arranged with the elementary school administration for a special day of workshops involving musicians, dancers, fine artists, and craftspeople. It was a big success and has become a yearly event.

Workshops for 3-8 Graders last 2 hours. Some past workshops were:  archery, bookmaking, basket making, weaving, wood crafts, karate intro, golf, mountain biking, tie dying, dance, intro to the guitar, maple sugaring. There are workshops designed for the children in Kindergarten – Grade 2, which are shorter in length. Students in higher grades participate in two workshops of their choice. The school day ends with a special program and a display of the creations of the day.

We are very thankful for all the community members and faculty members of Proctor Academy who made this day possible for so many years.  Thank you!

ALL WRITERS, FINE ARTISTS, MUSICIANS, CRAFTSPEOPLE, AND ANYONE ELSE INTERESTED IN LEADING A WORKSHOP OR HELPING, PLEASE CALL: Gisela Darling 735-5681 (e-mail: darlinggi@nulltds.net) or Jane Slayton, School Principal, at 735-5494.
We would also love to have any workshop leaders from 1989 join us in leading a workshop and/or joining in the big celebration at day’s end.

We also need volunteers to assist the workshop leaders and help the lower grades with their special activities.

Sign-up forms will be available at the school meeting, Monday, March 4 and/or town meeting,  Tuesday, March 12 and at the school.

Please contact us as soon as possible. The workshops need to be in place at the beginning of April to allow time for the information to be sent home and students to make their choices before April vacation.

When printed in the March edition of the Beacon, we credited Gisela Darling for this article when it was actually written by Margo Coolidge.