The Humanities Showcase: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Humanities students have one more event to add to their list of core memories! As they near the end of their journey in the program, seniors are beginning to reflect on their four years in the tightly-knit community and how they’ve grown, connected, and exceeded as students. The Hum Showcase is a collective performance to display the culmination of special memories and lessons that seniors have learned over the years. From trying to answer “What is the meaning of life?” to writing personal narratives for college, Humanities students have gone through it all together.
Due to the pandemic, seniors have only participated in the Hum Showcase once as audience members during their first year in Humanities. Current seniors recall the sincere joy and fun that the seniors displayed while performing up on stage for the underclassmen and are excited to create that same energy for the new audience.
“I remember a lot of people getting on stage, one by one or in small groups, and passionately explaining all of the different things they did throughout the Humanities program,” senior Ethan Li reminisced. “They made inside jokes I didn’t understand yet, were laughing, smiling, and just having a good time on stage.”
Annabel Rose, another senior in Humanities IV, also appreciated the close relationships that all of the seniors appeared to forge with one another; “Now that I’m in Hum IV, I feel like I have a bond with every single person in the Humanities program,” she said. “I feel like that was really reflected on the stage when I was a freshman, so I really hope that Hum IV gets to show that this year.”
This year’s showcase is not only a first for the seniors, but theatre teacher Jacob Traver is also looking forward to his first time organizing and directing this quintessential experience; “I’m excited to have a super good time just watching you all perform and see the scenes because I’ve gotten to see the development of the scenes and the performance of the scenes but not share that with anyone else,” Traver mentioned. “I think that being able to finally share that with everyone and see not only the fun that you get to have with it, but also the fun that everyone will get to have watching it.”
Not only is the Hum Showcase a chance for seniors to look back on their fond moments spent together, it can also act as a sneak peek for freshmen, as it provides a special glimpse into the next three years of Humanities. Who they’re going to have for teachers, what they’ll learn, and what memorable projects they’ll come across are all topics that are humorously covered.
“I’m kind of excited because my sister is a freshman in Hum I this year,” Rose included. “So it’s kind of like I get to pass the Humanities torch on to her and her friends, which is really fun, but I do really want to make it as good as it can be.”
“Especially for freshmen and sophomores, who either have those teachers or are going to have those teachers, they almost get introduced to them before they even have them,” Traver included.
Theatre is one of the many additions that make the Humanities department feel like a holistic, unified adventure. Not every program offers students the opportunity to immerse themselves in multicultural education through the performing and visual arts.
As Li mentioned, “just having that ability to experience and participate in theatre throughout your social studies and English career can really put that learning you’ve done in the classroom in context and explore avenues that you haven’t really seen before.”
Writing scripts, performing on stage, and learning new acting styles have pushed some students out of their comfort zones, as they have approached aspects of history and literature from an entirely different standpoint. “Obviously English and history I’ve taken my entire life, but theatre was completely new for me and I just find it really interesting,” Rose commented. “Getting to learn about cultures through the performing arts is so unique because it puts you into the position of a person in that society, because you can imagine them watching whatever you’re learning about or acting for.”
Ultimately, the showcase is meant to be fun, heartfelt, and joyful–it’s the end of a chapter for seniors but a new page for underclassmen students continuing their Humanities journey. It’s one of the only chances for every Humanities class to all be in the same place for a moment. From 9th grade to 12th grade, the Hum Showcase has just a little bit of everything for every Humanities student.
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