A couple of years ago, Jon Halvorson decided the best way he could help his second and third grade students grasp some of the elementary science concepts he was teaching would be for them to see them. He knew a microscope could expand his ability to teach and his students’ ability to understand that plankton and other tiny organism live in the water, that rocks and minerals can sometimes be more interesting when viewed up close, and that plants are made up of millions of cells, not visible to the naked eye.
A grant from the Olympia School District (OSD) Education Foundation helped the veteran teacher purchase the microscope he wanted, and he and his fellow teachers at Hansen Elementary School have benefitted from it ever since.
“The district does the best it can, but they don’t have the money to buy everything,” says Halvorson. Microscopes are found in middle schools and high schools, but they’re not in the budget for elementary school programs. That’s where the Foundation steps in. Every year, teachers can apply for grants of up to $1,500 to supplement programs or purchase equipment.
Ironically, Halvorson also has also been instrumental in raising a lot of funds for the Foundation. During the nineteen years he’s worked for the Olympia School District, he has participated in the OSD Players’ annual musical production thirteen times. The show, produced at Olympia High School in late February every year, serves as the primary fundraiser for the Foundation. This year’s show is “Honk!” and Halvorson plays the lead role of Ugly, an ugly duckling of sorts.
It’s not the first time Halvorson has taken on the lead. In fact, he’s had featured roles in every show since singing his first solo in “Damn Yankees” in 1999. “Henry Higgins was probably the most challenging acting role,” he says about taking on the male lead in “My Fair Lady” in 2011. “There was so much dialogue – intelligent dialogue. He was a tough character because he’s so stiff, yet he does care.”
Playing the Scarecrow in “The Wizard of Oz” in 2010 was a physically demanding role, but Halvorson is quick to confess that “Honk!” is probably the most vocally difficult part he’s attempted. He plays a young character, and “it’s really hard. It’s a true tenor role, and I’m not a true tenor.” He also points out that although the musical is appropriate for young audiences, it deals with some tough emotional issues like bullying, so he’s getting to stretch his acting muscles a lot in this role as well.
The acting bug really hit when Halvorson saw “Guys and Dolls” performed by the Players the year before he started working for the district. He knew if he got a job in Oly he definitely wanted to be part of the fun. He loves the process of working with a group to create something from nothing. “Performing is a risk for me. It’s a challenge. When you do theater, you put yourself out there, but it’s worth it because you grow and you get to share something too,” he says.
“I grow as a person because of how I think about things. I grow as an entertainer because I learn how to sing better. I learn how to act better,” Halvorson says. “That’s the other thing I really like about this group. I feel like there’s a lot of talent – people that I can really learn from. It’s not like I show up and leave the same way. I show up, and after I’m done with the show I’ve grown; I’m better at the end.”
The “group” includes over 60 people in any given year. Anyone who works for the district is eligible to participate, teachers, administrators and support staff alike. Their families are also encouraged to participate. This year, Halvorson’s wife Chris and their three daughters are all participating. “They love theater,” he says of Emily, and twins Lily and Hannah. Chris has done six OSD shows and the girls have done four. “It was an easy fit.” The six weeks juggling dance lessons, volleyball practices and rehearsals is crazy, but worth it, he insists. “It’s really magical to get to do this with the family.”
“I coach the girls in soccer, but when you’re in theater together, it’s a level playing field,” he says about sharing the stage with his family. He likes not being the boss. “You’re being vulnerable together,” he says. “They see me struggle and try,” and sometimes they get to step in and feed him lines.
Halvorson finds the skills he’s developed as an actor transfer to his classroom, too. “Specifically, I’ve become a better director. I do theater with the kids in my class. I teach them skills (I’ve learned) – how to sing better, how to be on stage and tell a story.”
Over the years Halvorson has written many original plays for his classes. They always focus on a subject the class has been studying over the course of the school year. One year it might be Alaska, the next it could be the Amazon River or the Rainforest. Doing a play helps him incorporate singing and acting into his classroom. Although they are being squeezed out of the elementary school curriculum, Halvorson sees what participation in the arts can do for his students.
“They don’t just pick up the acting skills, they become more confident people,” he says. And he sees that growth transfer to other parts of his student’s lives, too.
“It takes executive functioning, all those things kids are working on – impulse control – they’re having to get better at that,” he says about young students participating in a play. “It’s helping them individually, but it’s helping the team. Everything you do in a play is to achieve a common goal. It makes sense. When you’re listening to others say their lines, when you’re reciting your own, when you walk off the stage and have to be silent behind the scenes – it’s all for a purpose. There are reasons ‘why.'”
Jon Halvorson sees the benefit of theater in all sorts of things. It has helped him grow as a teacher. It enriches the life of his family, it brings pleasure to the audience. Sometimes, like with the OSD Players’ annual show, it provides money for grants for teachers who want to bring a little something extra into their classrooms. Sometimes the theater itself is that something extra.
The Olympia School District Education Foundation presents HONK!, an ugly duckling story, featuring the Olympia School District Players.
February 25 at 7:00 p.m.– All Tickets, Open Seating $10
February 26 and 27 at 7:00 p.m. – Reserved seats $15, General Admission $12
February 27 and 28 at 2:00 p.m. – Reserved seats $15, General Admission $12
Tickets available at www.seatyourself.biz/olympiasd, or call 753-8853.All proceeds benefit the kids through the Olympia School District Education Foundation. All performances are held at the Olympia High School Performing Arts Center.
Major sponsors of this year’s production include:
WSECU
TwinStar Credit Union
ABC Pediatrics
Matt Perkins – Greene Realty Group
Panowicz Jewelers
Dr. Andrew Kapust – Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
Financial Advocates
Olympia Education Association
Fiddlehead Wubbena Family
