HPS Students Earn Opportunity to Perform at Hamilton Education Program

The innovative educational program debuted in Hartford on Thursday, December 13, 2018 when over 2,600 students and teachers from 21 high schools attended the matinee performance of the musical, Hamilton at the Bushnell.

In addition to seeing a performance, students participated in a Q&A with members of the cast.  Students representing various schools in attendance also performed an original work they created based on their classroom studies – songs, rap, poetry, scenes, monologues – on the Bushnell stage in front of their peers.

Students from the following Hartford Public Schools won the chance to perform an original work:

Daquan Caulton of Global Communications Academy/Bulkeley High School AP Scholar
“Boston Tea Party Poem”

Jayden De la Rosa, Tyler Oney and Solomon Barlow of Capital Preparatory Magnet School
“Paul Revere Poem”

Brynnen Bernstein of Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy
“Isaac Moses Rap”

Jasnelys Torres, Dalice Gonzalez, Joaneshly Marquez, and  Nazira Gomez of Hartford Public High School
“Eliza Hamilton Poem”

Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller says about the program, “Our goal is to ensure students have a shot to see Hamilton and use its words, music, and staging to further their understanding and enjoyment of American history, music, and drama.”

The Hartford program has been made possible by the generosity of Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Rockefeller Foundation, the producers of Hamilton, the Miranda family, Travelers and the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts.

Dr. Leslie Torres-Rodriguez, Superintendent of Hartford Public Schools remarks, “I am grateful to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the Rockefeller Foundation, the producers of Hamilton, the Miranda family, Travelers, and the Bushnell Theater for extending this once-in-a-life-time opportunity to our high school students for true engagement in history through the arts and public performance.”

Superintendent Torres-Rodriguez, who stopped by the Bushnell for the students’ performances, visited with Journalism and Media Academy (left) and Bulkeley High School students (right) during lunch.

The Rockefeller Foundation provided an initial grant of $1.46 million that funded the educational partnership in New York City. After the resounding success of the partnership, the Foundation committed an additional $6 million to the effort to support the program’s national expansion.

Fore more information, please contact Tracy Avicolli, Director of Arts and Wellness for Hartford Pubic Schools.

See all event photos here.

ABOUT THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY

Founded in 1994 by Richard Gilder and Lewis E. Lehrman, visionaries and lifelong supporters of American history education, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to K–12 history education while also serving the general public. The Institute’s mission is to promote the knowledge and understanding of American history through educational programs and resources.

At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. Drawing on the 70,000 documents in the Gilder Lehrman Collection and an extensive network of eminent historians, the Institute provides teachers, students, and the general public with direct access to unique primary source materials.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is supported through the generosity of individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Institute’s programs have been recognized by awards from the White House, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Organization of American Historians, and the Council of Independent Colleges.