SCIL kids do a double take

LIBERTY, NY – What better way for the Sullivan County Interacademic League (SCIL) to kick off its 2005-06 season than by tapping into kids’ creative interpretation in writing, music and art? This year’s opening meet, dubbed “Double Take,” held at Hanofee Park, was the brainchild of Monticello English teacher Peter Weinman.

Students from Fallsburg, Monticello, Liberty, Tri-Valley, Eldred, Sullivan West, Livingston Manor and Roscoe were divided into teams and sent off to various bucolic sites in the park to tap into their knowledge of writers, artists and singers. Their mission was to create original pieces in one of the three media that mirrored the style of renowned professionals in their given field.

For those students chosen for the writing segment, young authors sat on a rise overlooking Dixie Lake and had to compose two pieces of writing in any genre. Each entry had to reflect a different artist’s style, use of language, themes and idiosyncrasies. Talented Sullivan County teens promptly penned stories and poems that bore the distinct flavor of writers such as Mark Twain, Dan Brown, Edgar Allan Poe, Willa Cather, Shakespeare and Dr. Seuss. The best entries used original characters and situations that were strongly reminiscent of the defining aspects of a given writer. Judges Richard Ross of The River Reporter and retired English teacher Nancy Kane assessed the writing against a standard that asked if the scene captured in the writing served as its inspiration. Other criteria included: Did the writing capture the style, language, themes and idiosyncrasies of the author being imitated? Was the writing interesting, creative and thoughtful, and what was the level of the overall writing? Each category could earn up to 25 points. One team garnered a score of 99.

Down by the lake young artists chose a particular vista and rendered two pieces of artwork in the style of two different artists. Stunning pictures that captured the serenity and beauty of an early fall morning reflected the style of many famous artists. The artwork was judged against a similar standard to the one used in writing.

Before the final phase, which involved singers and musicians performing two original songs in the style of known artists, selected players from each school headed off to try and earn points for their team in basketball, tennis and baseball in activities called “Shoot It, Hit It, and Serve It.” At each venue a team comprised of one boy and one girl first had to answer a trivia question about the sport in order to earn the right to play for additional points. Questions such as, “Who won the men’s NCAA basketball tournament last year?” prompted consultation and head scratching. The answer was North Carolina. That entitled the correct responders to try to drop in a foul shot for one point or a three-pointer from beyond the arc.

In tennis, students had to answer a tennis question such as “Who won the U.S. open men’s and women’s titles?” and then serve the ball into a box on the other side of the net. At the baseball site, a correct answer to a baseball question was followed by a chance to demonstrate hitting skills. Back at the pavilion, students with a mathematical inclination were answering questions in an activity called “Calculate It.” The questions had numerical answers and the numbers had to be combined with each other to the given directions to derive one numerical answer at the end of the challenge.

The musical segment truly demonstrated the remarkable talent and originality of the contestants. Replete with the flavor of Jewel, Bob Dylan, System of a Down, Simon and Garfunkel and other diverse performers, students used guitars, vocals and some bizarre choreography to deliver their original compositions. Many drew rousing cheers from the gathered students, teachers and judges.

All in all, the splendid weather and beautiful locale of Hanofee Park provided a wonderful milieu for a day of learning outside of the box. The first meet’s leaders were as follows: Eldred in fifth place with 131 points, Fallsburg in fourth place with 160 points, Sullivan West in third place with 174 points, Liberty in second place with 184 points and Monticello in first place with 200 points. The next meet will be held on November 17 at Sullivan West High School.