By Yuka Noda
Staff Writer
One day a year, students are given the opportunity to showcase their talents and hobbies to their classmates and teachers.
Midway Day was created three-and-a-half years ago when International Advisor on Education Ken Robinson gave a speech to the Manhattan Beach Unified School District about how schools do not provide enough creative outlets for students.
“The idea of Midway Day is to inspire creativity,” Vice Principal Deborah Hofreiter said. “It gives students an opportunity to show off what they’re good at whether or not it has to do with school.”
Many students, such as sophomores Daisy Hummer and Katie Cochran, decided to teach a class for Midway Day when they first experienced classes taught by fellow students in previous years. Hummer and Cochran taught two sessions of hip-hop dance classes this year.
“We had been talking about it for a while, and we both decided that it would be really fun and a cool experience,” Hummer said.
Senior Ariel Floro, a returning Midway Day student-teacher, also taught a physically engaging class on martial arts and self-defense techniques. According to Floro, she was disappointed that she had to limit the material taught in class due to the shorter periods this year.
“I taught a class on nutrition and exercise two years ago, and it was fun,” Floro said. “I just kind of grew up around [martial arts], and I’m hoping the people who take my class will start caring about personal safety.”
Seniors Greg Regan, Luqmann Abdul-Cader and Carson Boden taught “Mira Casino,” in which their students learned the basic rules of Black Jack and Texas Hold Em, commonly known and played gambling games. After the instructions, the students had an opportunity to participate in the games where the student-teachers acted as the casino dealers.
“We created this class because we enjoy playing poker for fun in our free time with friends, and we wanted to bring the fun to everyone else,” Boden said. “Most people do not know how to play by the official rules, and it is a worthwhile game to learn for social events in the future.”
According to Costa orchestra conductor Peter Park, there is a split opinion on whether Midway Day is actually beneficial to the students’ overall education. While some students may engage in Midway Day, other students chose to opt out and watch a movie in the auditorium.
“Overall, it is a great idea, but my impression is that there are different classes offering different values and experiences,” Park said. “One perspective is that we want many students to teach, but perhaps with consideration of the content of the class. I am hoping that we go beyond and step up in preparation.”
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