Cincinnati, Ohio, March 3,
2020– Two Saint Ursula students were
excited to be part of the Mayerson Jewish Community Center’s
“Jewish and Israeli Film Festival” this February. This festival featured the best of the thriving
independent film industry, showcasing established and emerging filmmakers and
provocative, humorous, inspiring, and enlightening films across Cincinnati.
The Nancy & David Wolf Holocaust &
Humanity Center, in partnership with the Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park,
worked with area high school students, including Saint Ursula’s Yasmeen Porter '22 of
Woodlawn and Alysa Christian '21 of
Forest Park to help them develop skills including creativity, critical
thinking, problem solving, communication and collaboration. They wrote
monologues based on the stories of Holocaust survivors who settled in
Cincinnati. They
performed these monologues at the Holocaust and Humanity Center before the
screening of “Witness Theater” as part of the film festival.
This event happened to coincide with Saint
Ursula Academy’s Spiritual Journey Week, a time of reflection and spiritual
growth for SUA students and staff. Yasmeen
and Alysa made connections between their academic endeavors in social studies
and the role of theatre in sharing history. As prophets and thinkers,
the students connected to stories of those different than themselves and, with
a nurturing spirit, crafted monologues about historical figures and their
experiences that allowed audiences to see similarities and make connections to
their own contemporary journeys. Both Yasmeen and Alysa tapped into their
leadership abilities to share those stories on stage.
Saint
Ursula Academy Theatre Director Allison Hinkel is very proud of the
students. "Yasmeen
and Alysa are detailed and caring performers who shine onstage and off. We're
so thrilled that they really embraced this opportunity to work with both the
Playhouse in the Park and the Nancy and David Wolf Holocaust and Humanity
Center to be an important part of the film festival."
Saint Ursula Academy is a Catholic,
college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic
excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 90
grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area.
The Academy is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue
Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut
Hills has been the home of Saint Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The
Class of 2019 earned college scholarships totaling more than $25-million.
Photo Caption: Yasmeen Porter '22 of
Woodlawn and Alysa Christian '21 of Forest
Park participated in Mayerson JCC’s Jewish and Isreali Film Festival. Students presented monologues at the
Holocaust and Humanity Center before the screening of “Witness Theater” as part
of the film festival.