Tag Archives: Mindfulness

Interview with Theater Teacher: Heidi Abbott

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We recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. Abbott and learn more about her wonderful life in theater. Ms. Abbott has been teaching at Hamlin for 18 years. During that time she has directed roughly 126 plays.

What is your background with theater/performing arts?

I tried to do theater in high school and college, but I was kind of a repressed theater geek. I went to college (at Middlebury) and majored in English. I then went on to teach English and coach sports for 9 years at different private schools in the Midwest and East Coast. When I was 28 years old I started to question whether I was doing what I truly loved. I was cast in a summer theater play (Mother of Us All by Gertrude Stein) and that experience helped convert me to theater. I had a Master’s in English (also from Middlebury), but took a huge risk, quit my job, sold my horse (I had been a competitive rider) and went to New York City to train at the New Actors Workshop. I loved embodying language, expressing possibilities as I demonstrated compassion and empathy for the characters that I played. There is just so much personal and emotional growth that goes into portraying a character in a play.

What is your favorite role as an actor?

I loved playing Amanda in The Glass Menagerie. I learned how to deeply empathize with her difficult circumstances. She’s a broken person who I profoundly cared for.

What do you like most about working with Hamlin theater students?

I love seeing students build their confidence and take risks. They are great raw material for theater. They are willing to publicly speak and be on stage. I admire their courage, and love their excitement to try new things.

What is a favorite play of yours and one that you loved doing at Hamlin?

One of my favorite plays is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time; I saw it both on Broadway and in San Francisco. I directed The Curious Savage at Hamlin twice; it is one of my favorites. The play questions what it means to be normal and what it means to be an individual.

Who are some of your favorite actors?

Meryl Streep is such a classic actor. Emma Stone is insanely talented. I also really like Bradley Cooper.

How do you incorporate mindfulness into your theater work?

Mindfulness is at the foundation of our theater work. You have to be able to pay attention to everything that is happening right now. The breath is an anchor for mindfulness and for an actor it is a vehicle for everything you need to do. We start every class with mindful breathing. Practicing mindfulness can be the difference between being a good actor, or being a great one.

Nurturing Self-Awareness in Grade 4

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Grade 4 recently completed a special 8-week class called, My Body My Friend. The class was taught by Hamlin parent, Ginger Braun.

Ms. Braun shares more:

The purpose of My Body My Friend is to inspire girls to have a loving, nurturing, and supportive relationship with their body so they can experience self-love and self-confidence, thus igniting a foundation for full self-expression. This experience is created by using a multidisciplinary approach including mindfulness, yoga, coaching tools, journaling, art, and music.  We consciously placed this program right before the health and puberty unit so the girls can use this foundation of friendship to accept the many changes her body will go through, and navigate both personal and social situations with greater ease and self-awareness. 

For example, each girl has practiced using affirmations and learned ways in which our bodies listen to us and how we need to listen to our body.  We turned up the volume of the Inner BFF and turned the volume down super low for the Inner Critic in order to practice kindness. We explored the concept of “Acceptance” and what needs to be released in order to fully move into a place of unconditional love for oneself. 

Our girls really enjoyed the various activities and exercises involved with the class.

Welcome Back to Hamlin, “May You Be Well”

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On August 21, 2017, The Hamlin School welcomed back all faculty to start a new school year. This year’s theme is May You Be Well. The words are derived from a Buddhist blessing and set us forth to take care of each other and our community throughout the school year. This means we will strive for balance, and work to enrich and focus on our relationships, while continuing to create an excellent academic program. May You Be Well is a theme that also encourages our faculty to model a positive example for students, demonstrating how we can live and work with less stress.

Throughout the opening week various faculty members led wellness activities. These included: A brisk neighborhood walk, relaxing on the roof, mindfulness, pilates, climbing, yoga, singing, and art making. On Friday afternoon faculty had the opportunity to spend a full hour doing one of the following activities: SoulCycle, walking, Zumba, yoga.

Willow Hagge, (Director of Extended Day and Co-Curricular Programs) shared the following about the emphasis on health and wellness.

The week provided a chance for faculty to care for themselves, mind, body, spirit. It’s a stressful time of year. We wanted faculty and staff to have moments to pause and rejuvenate as they prepared for the school year.