The Greek Festival was held on Tuesday, April 25th after weeks of rehearsal and preparation. The Festival, a remarkable and memorable event, is traditionally reflected upon by Middle School students as the highlight of sixth grade. The students rehearsed their dramatic presentations, practiced their dance and musical performances, and worked diligently on their artistic displays, including exhibits of beautifully designed and executed Greek Temples and Greek Tiles.

After three thousand years, Greek myths still seem to have the power to fascinate. Because myths serve to capture the imagination by dealing with the problems common to all human beings, our sixth grade students read them eagerly and with great attention. Myths have the power to remind us that human needs and the nature of humankind have not changed over time. Myths focus on the extent to which people are victims of circumstances and the extent to which they bring destiny upon themselves. Dalton sixth graders, inspired by mythology, began their Greek studies in English, Social Studies and Math this year by reading and studying ancient Greek life, literature, art and architecture. The students moved on to reading tales from the Iliad and the Odyssey, studying the Oresteia trilogy written by Aeschylus. The highlight of the combined English, Social Studies and Math program is the annual Greek Festival, a celebration of ancient Greek living, art and architecture, archaeology, literature, math, philosophy and mythology.

Parents of Sixth Grade students were invited to attend the annual Greek Festival which was held in the Martin Theatre and at the Physical Education Facility located at E. 87th Street. The Greek Festival, a Middle School annual event , has been organized in the spring by the sixth grade faculty for the past few decades and was conceived as an elaborate celebration involving the English, Social Studies, Math, Dance, Music, and Visual Arts Departments. After reading a variety of Greek myths and versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey adapted for young readers, the students studied The Oresteia, also adapted for your readers, rehearsing the trilogy in anticipation of performing the play at the Festival. Each English class produced a version of the Oresteia, i.e. Agamemnon, The Choephorae (or Libation Bearers) and the Eumenides). Every student performed in the plays and created his or her own Greek costume with the assistance of parents, family and friends. Students also built Greek temples to scale in math class, paying special attention to structure, form and measurement and the temples were placed on display in the Lobby. In addition to the plays, students made individual Greek tiles which were also exhibited in the Lobby. The students took part in dance presentations, vocalized with the chorus, and many joined instrumental groups performing musical works in the Martin Theatre. After the performance of the Oresteia, the musical presentations, the dance performances and the preview of the temples and tile displays, the entire Sixth Grade joined their family members, faculty and staff at the E. 87th Street PE Facility for an evening of Greek food, entertainment and fun, courtesy of the Greek Festival Committee, the 6th Grade PA Parent Representatives and the House Parents. A traditional celebration of Greek history and literature, students, families, faculty and staff shared in a cultural experience that was both educational and entertaining.

Knowing the students achieved a Middle School milestone by successfully participating in the Greek Festival, the Dalton Middle School community expresses its appreciation to the Parent Committee, and to sixth grade House Advisors and Teachers Laura Aziz, Josh Bachrach, Pamela Brighton, Mary K. Brown, Wade Cummings, Andrea DeJesus, Neil Goldberg, Pamela Ness, Susan Springer and Julia Stokien for planning this amazing event. A special thanks is extended to the Art, Dance, Music and Theatre Departments for working with the students on their performances and displays, and to Food Services, Building Services, Security and the Physical Education Departments for their support during the evening at both E. 89th and E. 87th Streets.