Gloria Stumme

Bringing drama as an art form to K-12 at-risk students is a position not often taken by teachers. Stumme's "Building Statues of Snow" program will give students a chance to be creative, participate in team-building exercises, and improve their core academic skills. The title of the program is taken from the theme of Sugar Salem High School's drama program and the quotation, "The actor is forever carving statues of snow". The idea for Stumme's program began as an offshoot of a theatre camp she and her students currently oversee for elementary and junior high school participants. The at-risk students that will be involved are exhibiting either academic or behavior issues. By including these youth, they can be stimulated and encouraged in nontraditional ways while working with diverse groups of other students. The camp will allow them to gain mentoring skills, take ownership of a project through theatre production, and build critical-thinking skills. Stumme resides in Sugar City.