On Tuesday afternoon, the Middle School was treated to a powerful performance by COMETRY in the Hamilton Gymnasium. The group's educational program blends both stand-up comedy and poetry while highlighting the importance of diversity. Two dynamic poets, Iggy and Andre, led a performance that involved the entire audience and encouraged Graland students to think about how they communicate and work to better understand each other.

 

The core messages of the program revolve around “G.R.A.V.” – an acronym that stands for Growth, Research, Approachability, Validation. Poems performed, like The Boy, The Myth, The Legend (Michael Jackson), conveyed the need to learn about one another in order to show appreciation and respect for our differences.

 

Students came away impressed by the group's "laugh and learn" approach to communicating these important concepts. 

“A lot of kids don’t spend time learning about one another and need to be more open and approachable,” says Weston Wolkov, Grade 8.

Fifth grader Eve Weiner says, “I learned that you have to fail more and make mistakes sometimes to be a better person." About the performance, she shares, "Everyone was into it and it was really funny.”

Quentin Labbett, another fifth grader, says, “It was serious sometimes but also entertaining. I liked how they brought students from the audience and I learned that you have to be yourself.”