School turns into big top for the week

Wilmington- Students and faculty at Twin Valley Elementary School have turned  their school into a circus for the second year in a row, via a weeklong residency with Troy Wunderle and his “Big Top Adventures” program.
From October 21 to October 25 students in grades pre-K through five are using their PE periods to experiment with Wunderle’s collection of circus toys and equipment. Skills they are learning include juggling, plate spinning, feather-balancing, hula-hooping, devil-sticking, diablo manipulation, feather-balancing, jump-roping, pogo-sticking, unicycling, rolling globe walking, rolla bolla balancing, clowning, and stilt-walking.
Wunderle is working with each grade during the week to create a unique act that will be presented to the public at 6 pm on Friday October 25, at the TVES gymnasium.
The students are excited to build on the skills they learned last year, and TVES physical education teacher Chris Walling has also been including a unit of circus skills in his annual curriculum. In the second year of his residency, Wunderle plans to challenge the students and encourage them to go deeper as they challenge their own perceived limits, all while supporting each other (and having fun).
The residency is supported by a Vermont Arts Council grant, as well as generous grants from the Rotary Club of the Deerfield Valley and the Whitingham-Halifax Lions Club.  Fundraising has also been conducted by the TVES community.
For more information contact Rebecca Fillion, TVES principal, at rfillion@tves.k12.vt.us or (802) 464-5177.