Igniting the Arts Through A Day of Service

by Melissa Chaparro

 

The hum of power drills and the sound of laughter filled the halls of Falling Creek Middle School as volunteers gathered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to construct a new set design for the school’s drama program. 

 

This marks the school’s 2nd drama performance

in four years after losing the drama program

during the Covid-19 Pandemic. 

 

Kate Hundley, a reading specialist at Falling

Creek for the last seven years, stepped up as

drama director due to her own love for theater

and Broadway. 

 

“Theatre broadens your understanding of the world around you a bit more and gives you an outlet and a way to express yourself that’s different from the traditional school day,” Hundley said, reflecting on the importance of extracurriculars in student’s lives. 

 

Hundley acted as a supervisor on Monday, guiding the volunteers from Start 1 Spark into building and painting set walls alongside constructing the throne for their upcoming production of “Game of Tiaras.” 

 

Maya Ramirez, a repeat Start 1 Spark volunteer, returned to Falling Creek in order to give back to her community, specifically the children, “who wouldn’t normally have access to this kind of support,” she said. 

 

Ramirez reflected on how the sports she played growing up shaped her life, particularly as a mother. 

 

“It’s kind of a nice experience, me being a mom, and making sure my kids are involved in music and sports and having access to all these resources,” Ramirez said. 

 

Clair Lloyd was among a group of ten employees from the Red Orange Studio, a creative marketing agency based in Richmond, that joined the volunteering efforts. 

 

Lloyd, the account manager for Red Orange Studio, organized for her colleagues to perform one of their days of service at Falling Creek after coming across the opportunity on the Community Foundation’s Engagement Center website. 

 

“[Extracurriculars] were a huge part of my life,” said Lloyd. “It was a great way to connect with friends outside of the classroom, but really get to know myself and my interests and have a creative outlet.” 

 

Conner Evans, a 6th grade English teacher at Falling Creek, was an avid participant in all sports extracurricular activities, but envied all his peers that found a home in the drama department. 

 

“Being on a team is really important for these kids,” Evans said. “It was very important for me to learn how to deal with failure, learning how to be bad at something and get a lot better at it.”

 

The Falling Creek drama program faced setbacks, losing a teacher and key funding. However, with Hundley and Evans stepping in as directors, the program has regained hope. Both directors are grateful to Start 1 Spark for bridging the financial gap and enabling students to continue their creative work.

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“[Start 1 Spark] makes it possible,” said Hundley. “Being able to do build days like this and do the set pieces, that would take us multiple weekends with kids to do, we would never be able to figure out all of the calculations.”

 

Hundley also explained that the networking that Start 1 Spark provides makes it possible for the drama program to thrive. She references last year’s production where Start 1 Spark volunteers from Walmart were able to provide gift cards for set pieces. 

 

This sentiment was echoed by Evans who said, “We wouldn’t have had any of our sets without [Start 1] Spark.”