By Jessica Crosscrossja84@gmail

Glenforest students perform A Home for Claire

Glenforest School students are rewriting the rules when it comes to people's perception of learning differences such as dyslexia and severe difficulty in reading comprehension.

For many of the school's approximately 110 first through 12th graders, reading and writing is a challenge. The elementary and middle school students proved April 27, they could overcome those challenges when they performed a play they helped write, A Home for Claire.

The students began writing segments of the play last fall when Stage Works, a Charlotte, N.C. based theater company, held creative writing workshops at the school. Three members of the company instructed the students to write poems and short stories about topics such as their concept of home. Its members then took students' work and incorporated some work into a play.

The central theme that Stage Works used in the play paralleled that of the school's book, Claire Finds her Direction by school librarian, Melinda Hartsook. In the book, the school's St. Bernard, Claire, travels the world in search of her purpose. But the play tells the story of Claire's being lost and found.

While the themes of the play and book are whimsical, school head, Gillian Barclay- Smith says the theme is a metaphor for Glenforest children who may struggle to find direction in their education before attending the school.

Edith Bailey, who works in school admissions, indicates that an emphasis on the importance of a child's punctuation and handwriting over that of his or her ideas may cause that child to feel lost when it comes to writing. "It's not that these kids can't write, it's that we have to take it back a step and help them learn to express themselves," says Bailey. "That's the value of something like Stage Works. These people are very creative, and they validate what every child has to say."

Of the 43 elementary and middle school students, each was allowed a voice. The students were given a choice as to how much they participated in the acting. Seventh grader John Kitchings played the part of Claire, and eighth grader Catherine Leitzsey played Fletcher the flea with a New York accent. Leitzsey's writing was also featured in the play.

Students invited grandparents, parents, and neighbors to gather in the school's auditorium to observe their hard work. Some friends of Glenforest, such as Jim Hudson and Inez Tenenbaum, were also invited.

DVDs of A Home for Claire , and the book, Claire Finds her Direction

, can be ordered through the school. To order a copy, call 796-7622.