In May 2018, an 8th grade student at Grant Sawyer Middle School planned and attempted suicide after being continuously bullied. Having survived the attempt, he shared his story with the Sawyer Summer Stage program.
On September 27, Grant Sawyer Middle School’s Advanced Drama will be presenting the powerful anti-bullying play, “The Weight of Your Words.” This play was written by students in Florida and at Sawyer Middle School. The show will be performed to the 8th grade English classes during all class periods, and again at 2:30 p.m. and at 5 p.m., totaling eight performances in one day. There will also be a talkback session between the audience and cast members.
Grant Sawyer Middle School is a Title 1 school facing many challenges in its efforts to help students to succeed. In May of 2016, the drama program at Grant Sawyer was awarded the Gift of Imagination Grant from the Rogers Foundation in the amount of $38,500. Through this grant, a theater program called "Sawyer Summer Stage" was created.
In the summer of 2016, students attended the camp, where they participated in theater exercises and had the privilege of hearing many guest speakers including spoken word artist Sean Critchfield, improv artist Lisa Davis, and morning radio host Carla Rea. The Sawyer Drama Alumni have given their time to help the program succeed. The program culminated in a performance of the 9/11 memorial play "War at Home," with the students writing companion pieces included in the production. Donations were accepted in lieu of admission, and $530 was raised for "Paws and Stripes," a charity that provides service dogs to veterans with PTSD. The Gift of Imagination Grant is also helping to provide financial support for the drama program throughout the school year.
For more information contact Amy Roberge at grisaad@nv.ccsd.net or call (702) 799-5980 ext. 3903.
