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A few weeks in to a new school year, Springville Junior High has yet another new chance to learn-and this time, it is with Shakespeare. Many times, students don’t know who Shakespeare is or what he has written. Now, every student has the chance to find out. Mrs. Elizabeth Bass, seventh and eighth-grade English teacher at Springville Junior High, is leading a new enrichment class about Shakespeare on Tuesdays during Quest Time. According to Mrs. Bass, William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is acknowledged by many to be one of the most accomplished playwrights in history, and his influence expands into modern day literature and plots. He has authored more than 37 plays, 154 sonnets, 2 narrative poems and two "lost plays."
Mrs. Bass believes it is important to read and study Shakespeare. “While studying theater in London, I learned to love Shakespearean plays. From my experience I began to value Shakespeare's writings of enduring themes and how they applied to my life. Through this enrichment opportunity, I desire students to gain similar appreciation of Shakespeare's writings,” Mrs. Bass said.
Right now, the students who go to the Shakespeare class are analyzing parts of “Hamlet,” and after that they have decided to do a little more acting, picking out pieces of the play to present to each other. Before this, students were able to put together entertaining skits using some of the language and insults of Shakespeare.
According to Rebecca Morrison, eighth grader at the junior high, the Shakespeare class is fun because they really talk about it and learn about Shakespeare, not just talk about him in passing, and that is why Shakespeare is awesome.