Special Performances and Projects

Project SUCCESS is dedicated to developing programming unique to the culture and needs of each school's students. This might take the form of an all-school field trip to the theater, a Project SUCCESS-produced musical or play, or some other specially designed activity. Here are some examples of other special performances and projects offered:

Since 2007, Project SUCCESS has collaborated annually with Xelias Aerial Arts Studio to lead the entire 8th grade class at Minneapolis' Northeast Middle School through a transformative experience using aerial arts as the tool. In small groups, students have a chance to watch aerial artists perform and then each student has a chance to actually have a hands-on experience doing aerial arts — rotating between three stations led by a Xelias teacher: Tumbling, Stationary Trapeze, and Spanish Web. Masterfully facilitated by Project SUCCESS Northeast facilitator Julia Hutchinson, each station is used to represent a life lesson for the students to take with them as they transition to high school. The students are also able to link this experience in supportive risk-taking with the experience of their own day-to-day lives and the risk of going after their dreams. Support for this activity is made possible in part by the West Fork Foundation.

Each year, Project SUCCESS collaborates with Mu Performing Arts on The Stories Program — an in-class workshop with English Language Learner (ELL) students. The goal of the Stories Program is to help ELL students articulate and tell their personal stories through the performing arts, including using both verbal and non-verbal creative media. This experience helps students develop leadership, self-esteem, interpersonal, artistic, and English language skills; and builds a broader understanding among themselves and their community. The project culminates in a wonderful and powerful performance of the students' personal stories for their teachers and peers. The Stories Program began at Washington Technology Magnet School in St. Paul in 2008 as an after-school activity and has grown to serve ELL students at Battle Creek Middle School, and Humboldt Junior High in St. Paul and Patrick Henry High School in Minneapolis. Support for this activity is made possible in part by a grant provided by the Minnesota State Arts Board, through an appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund with money from the vote of the people of Minnesota on November 4, 2008; and by the Travelers Arts & Diversity Committee through COMPAS.