HUMANI T IES
Every Thursday and Sunday, and any other days when he has spare time, Doyle McCormack goes to the
Brooklyn Roundhouse. Rain or shine, sleet or snow, McCormack comes down because he just can’t stay away. The building is old, the room
is dusty, and holes pierce through the roof, but this place houses something very special: hidden treasure—three historic jewels lost in the rubble of
time. McCormack has been protecting this hidden treasure for almost thirty years now, but these jewels aren’t secure anymore, and McCormack
has to find a new place to preserve them. He also doesn’t want to keep his treasure in hiding anymore; he wants to share it with the world.
In the Historical Fiction class, Seniors get to choose two semester-
length courses from among several electives, many of which allow them to focus on one genre of literature and try their hand at writing in that genre. For example, in the Playwriting class, the students read plays, participate in improvisations, and do dramatic writing exercises. Then they create an original one-act play, which their classmates act out. Three plays are chosen for production before a public audience with sets, costumes, and stage lighting, and the playwrights direct the productions.
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students research a historical period and write the first chapter of a novel set in that time, and in the Autobiography class they use published autobiographies as models for their own memoirs. The Poetry elective and Art of the Short Story similarly include study of the genre and original creation. The creative writing in all of these classes is done in a workshop format, with students sharing their writing with classmates and considering their suggestions during revision. This gets students used to the idea that they are not just writing for a teacher but for a broader audience and lets them see how that audience responds. “I’d like for students to write in
various genres all the way through, but as seniors they can step out and really shine,” Rick said. Whether the form of writing they choose is poetry or fiction or nonfiction, the ideas they are exploring are more important than the medium they choose to express those ideas. By the time they graduate from OES, students are adept at many styles
of writing and can choose the one that is best for expressing their ideas. “Through the Humanities, we are
exposing students to traditions of the world and society,” Rick continued. “They are writing about questions of ultimate meaning. They may find their life paths in the field of writing, but regardless, through cultivating their curiosity about the world and their place in it, they will be wiser and lead richer lives.”
SUMMER 2010 OES MAGAZINE
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