Island Fellow Working on Education, Library Projects

Between the school and the library, it's been a busy few months for Morgan Whitham. She taught Health and Physical Education classes, trained volunteers to catalogue the library collections, and took on the job of running the library during the librarian's 10-week absence. She also helped with the comprehensive-planning committee's newsletter and the committee's summary for the town report.

Paula Greatorex, one of Morgan's advisors on Isle au Haut, is delighted to have an extra hand saying, "Morgan teaches Health and Physical
Education to eight students this year. She is developing a PE curriculum and has found an island volunteer who may work with the students next year. She also uses her theater experiences to teach the students acting exercises and help with the plays we produce."

These theater experiences came in handy when Morgan was called upon again to help direct the annual Christmas play. The 2008 version, entitled, "Christmas at the OK Corral," and featuring the Candycane Kid as the hero, required Morgan to bring out the best in eight young performers, a feat that might undo even the most hardened Broadway veteran. But Morgan's use of her "director voice" (as opposed to her "teacher voice") helped bring a sense of controlled chaos to the proceedings: "When set before an audience, they were adorable and didn't yell insults at one another across the stage or freak out when the accompaniment tape randomly stopped during the big opening act. The audience laughed and cheered, and as I stood backstage to help with quick changes, I couldn't help but laugh and grin, and think, ‘Oh, my kids are the loveliest lovelies!'"