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The Raves
'Diversity Circus'
Rings Up Lessons in Being Fair, Aware at St. Michael
October 22, 2006
BY M.B. DILLON
CORRESPONDENTThe gym at Livonia's St. Michael School was transformed into a big-top Wednesday when the "Diversity Circus" came to town.
With students' help, Ringmaster Doug Scheer, in top hat and tails, and Smudgy, the tongue-tied clown, performed amazing magic and super-human tricks. Bombastic music, funny sound effects, jokes, and colorful costumes and props added to the fast-paced fun. Not to be missed amid the silliness were lessons about being fair, aware, and including and respecting others. Circus acts like "The World's Strongest Kid" and "The Amazing, Giant Crayon Box" showed students how assumptions lead to misunderstandings, and how to accept and appreciate the differences that make us individuals.
"Martin Luther King gave a speech 40 years ago that we still talk about," said Doug the Ringmaster, as Smudgy held King's portrait. "His dream was that all people be treated the same. It doesn't matter if you're king of the jungle or a tiny circus mouse, when you use respect, you put yourself in another person's position. People are different, but we all smile the same way."If you want to include other people, one way of doing that is to think of other people first. If you think of other people first, other people will think of you first too," he added.
Sr. Carolyn, principal of St. Michael School, said the Diversity Circus was invited "to celebrate the differences of each individual, and because we are a group of different ethnic people of different ages, races, and nationalities." The goal is to "strive for unity and peace among all of us," she added.
Following that theme, students created "diversity projects." Eighth-graders took "Who's your Tiger?" -- the 2006 theme of baseball's Detroit Tigers -- to a new level, studying the character of individual ballplayers to see what gifts each brings to the world of sports and the world.
Students gave the circus rave reviews. "It was awesome. We didn't want to leave," said first-grader Jonathan Mann.
Fifth-grader Claire Jones said her favorite part "was when the ringmaster put a kid in the box and made his body disappear. That was awesome."
Classmate Thomas Bowman added: "That was the funniest show I ever saw."
Sponsoring the Scheer Genius Productions event was the St. Michael Parent Group, the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs and the Michigan Humanities Council.
Need more information? Give us a call. There’s a school in your district that’s already seen these programs.
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