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Horizon elementary students get a jump on

Turkey Day

By STEPHANIE LAIRD

Horizon Science Academy Elementary School hosted its first K-2 Thanksgiving Performance on Tuesday, Nov. 25, featuring numerous musical and theatrical performances and poetic interpretations by the students from each class in grades kindergarten through second grade. The Morse Road charter school plans to make the performance an annual event.

The kindergarten classes kicked off the production with ’Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving," a creative rendition of the popular ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, accompanied by students acting out the various parts of the song. The three participating kindergarten classes also performed I’m a Very Fine Turkey.

The first-graders jubilantly sang Five Little Turkeys, and five "turkey" students performed a theatrical representation of the music. The two first-grade classes also performed The Turkey Game.

Members of Mrs. Tuttle’s second-grade class performed Thanksgiving to launch their portion of the performance. The Ugly Turkey, a version of The Ugly Duckling parable with a Thanksgiving twist, followed by Mrs. Becker’s class. The second-grade classes wrapped up the event with Thanksgiving is Near, a lively musical number that ended the production with a gobble and a bang.

For the last few weeks the K-2 students at HSA Elementary have been preparing for the Thanksgiving Performance, HSA-Columbus Director Alper Akyurek said. Two performances were held on Tuesday -- at 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

According to Akyurek, there are currently 14 HSA schools in Ohio.

"A lot of kids (attending HSA schools) are the first ones going to college from their families," said Akyurek, adding that the high school graduation rate has exceeded 95 percent in recent years, with at least 90 percent of students being accepted into college following graduation.

There are four Horizon Science Academy affiliate schools located in Columbus -- two elementary school level -- one of which is named Nobel Academy Columbus, one middle and one high school. The Nov. 25 performance was held at HSA’s newest elementary school, which opened this year at 2835 Morse Road.

HSA is a charter school, which is managed by Concept Schools and funded by public sources. The HSA-Columbus schools are independently operated by a board of trustees under a charter from Buckeye Community Hope Foundation and Lucas County Educational Services. For more information on HSA-Columbus visit: horizoncolumbus.org.

http://www.snponline.com/articles/2008/11/26/multiple_papers/schools/allnnallho_20081126_0245pm_2.txt