Last Thursday, November 2nd, 63 of Ms. Underwood’s juniors had the opportunity to attend an EduHam performance, sponsored by The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Through this program, students got a chance not only to create a performance for the stage of the Hollywood Pantages theatre, but also an incredible opportunity to see the hit Broadway musical Hamilton.
In order to qualify for the trip, students first submitted a recording of a research-based performance piece about Revolutionary-era American history. The best piece from each school was selected by teachers to submit to EduHam, and from these they chose the best few to be performed live onstage at the Pantages Theatre in the morning.
One of our juniors, Amy Pham, had the honor to perform her piece, a rap about Abigail Adams and the plight of women during the revolution, through this program in front of all 2700 attendees. After the spectacular student performances, the students left the theatre to eat lunch in the donated space of a local club; they returned at 2PM to watch the professional performance of Hamilton. From the looks of the audience, everyone in attendance, including and especially our juniors, was very moved by the performance - Ms. Underwood said the reactions of her students made this day one of her favorite moments in teaching.
The timing of this field trip could not have been better, as the juniors are currently learning about the Revolutionary era, including the leading Federalist figure Alexander Hamilton. The musical is an unforgettable recounting of his personal life and political accomplishments, sure to assist the students of Mr. Bradbury’s AP United States History through May’s exam and beyond.
Image source: https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/alexander-hamilton-gift-guide/