Finding Princeton in a New York City classroom

If I may, I would like to turn your attention slightly from the recent "hot topics" of sexist comedians and JP stress that have filled the editorial pages recently.

I'm sure you have seen the Arts Alive posters around campus. Many of you have even spoken to me about the project and my place on the administrative board, run by a group from the Princeton Arts Council and the Class of 2004. The project's goal is to introduce children to the arts community of New York, making it "come alive" through live performances and workshops run by Princeton students. The University has donated $500,000 to be used by Hospital Audiences, Inc. (HAI), a New York-based non-profit organization that coordinates tickets and school selection. This was the largest of Princeton's responses to Sept. 11, and it has fulfilled its purpose beautifully thus far.

I would like to share with you my experience of a recent Friday. Perhaps the half of Arts Alive that many of you know about is the "event" part. Princeton students accompany school children from New York City and New Jersey to Broadway shows, concerts, dance performances, art museums, etc, acting as a friend willing to become better acquainted with a young person.

The other half of the program, often overlooked by eager volunteers, is the workshop component. Princeton students (one being trained in workshop skills by HAI staff) create, design and execute a workshop tailored to the age-group and specific performance. This is the real test of wits and is a true testament to the volunteer spirit of Princeton students.

I took my turn in a workshop one Friday in March in Queens. I woke up earlier than I ever had at Princeton so as to be on time for a 9 a.m. workshop with 30 8th graders at M.S. 202. The students were of a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds, but the school, like many of our public schools, looked worse for the wear.

Somehow, amidst a flurry of improv skits, situational questions and a few games of "Telephone," my partner Laura Winn '04, and I got across the major themes of "The Crucible" by Arthur Miller — not an easy task for an 8th grade audience.

The response — giggles and laughs mainly — made the whole experience worthwhile, as did the large smiles of surprise that erupted from most of the students' faces when they learned that they would be given free tickets to see "The Crucible" with a family member. Most had never seen a Broadway show before.

Perhaps the most rewarding thing, though, was when a girl approached me at the end of the workshop. She had not spoken at all during the hour. She tugged my shirt sleeve and asked, "Where is Princeton?" Rarely do words give me pause as these did. I told her, she nodded, smiled and walked away. The scene has haunted or rather enchanted me since.

I ask you, "Where is Princeton?" Is it in debates between campus organizations? Is it on the Street? Is it in a race to finish 24 beers in 24 hours? Yes, it is in these places. But we too often run the risk of forgetting that Princeton extends beyond Fitzrandolph gate.

Princeton is in New York. It is in Queens at M.S. 202. It is in the mind of every child who smiles during an Arts Alive workshop. It is wherever we dare to take it.

I would like you to know that I do not scoff at any social group or its activities, nor do I berate any of the traditions or amazingly fortunate opportunities that we are afforded at this great school. I would ask you only to remember the people outside of "the bubble."

This may sound like old news, but recall that we have a duty "in the nation's service." Recall that our school was not destroyed by a collapsing tower in a day of terror; recall that a plane did not crash 10 blocks from our school in November (At M.S. 202, some students still get nervous every time they hear a plane overhead departing JFK).

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If by reading this you haven't even felt an interest in Arts Alive, that's fine with me. I just ask that you remember that at this time, our country needs to smile a little bit and to remember the simple joys that can come from sitting down and watching a play. I guarantee you that a child who can still smile after the world has essentially crashed down around him or her would be more than happy to get to know you. Please consider volunteering your time (www.princeton.edu/~aalive).

And you may even discover where Princeton really is. Michael Ritter is a english major from Athens, Ga. He can be reached at mritter@princeton.edu.