Saturday Showcase: Popera

Schools are filled with talented people. In a school the size of mine, it can be a challenge to know everyone's name much less their stories and talents. Teams at Singapore American School find ways to showcase peoples' stories, strengths and talents. I will talk about the stories and strengths work at school another time. Now, let's talk talent. 

How do you give people the opportunity to share their talents? Beyond clubs at school for kids, how do you engage faculty, staff and families? 

Take the Popera this week. Music teacher and opera singer, Kristen Symes, performed in the middle school library during lunch on Thursday. Her "side gig" (a word I've heard teachers use often) is opera. She has two performances coming up. An Operapocalypse  and a gala concert, at a Chinese Cultural Center. Her husband, also a teacher at our school, shared the events with faculty via email this week. 

There are often "pop up" events in Singapore: markets, performances, food stalls. So it was rather exciting to get this message on Thursday morning.

There was everyone's favorite fresh popped popcorn  from the Hoe Brothers Catering (the company that runs our cafeteria) and some marvellous minutes of music.  I couldn't help but think about luck and blessings and attention. How when we pay attention to people, get to know their stories, their strengths and their talents, we find ways to connect them to others. And those connections provide others with opportunities. Our middle school kids had an incredible pop up opportunity with the Popera! Fleeting, momentary and beautiful--

Goosebumps, right?