Juliet Capulet speaks those words from the balcony in Act 2, Scene 2 of “Romeo and Juliet,” unaware that Romeo is listening. The meaning behind them is at the core of the Shakespearean tragedy.
Huguenot Academy students enjoyed some Shakespeare in the park on the last warm weather day of the season. Students in Kettisha Nwonye's English Language Arts class did their learning outside on Friday, Oct. 2, when the mercury reached 84 degrees.
Students took turns reading aloud from William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in Lincoln Park, adjacent to the Remington Boys & Girls Club, where their school is located. They said the book was perfect to take outside.
"We love ‘Romeo and Juliet!’ The play is exciting, and we love to take on reading roles during class time. Being outside enhanced this excitement,” said one student.
Another student commented: "Being outside gave us the feeling of being calm and free. We didn't feel like caged birds and were able to sit in the sun and feel the breeze. It was a nice break from being inside all day."
Huguenot Academy Director Dr. Merica Neufville said, “Having the chance to enjoy an outdoor space while learning has been a long-time request from our students,” adding that she was “grateful to work with a group of teachers, students, families, and partners who support us as we continue to reimagine what a learning environment looks like.”
For the students, there was no question the approach was a success.
"Going outside definitely made us feel special. It reminded us of our middle school experience where we had similar opportunities to take our learning outdoors. We definitely feel this should become a standard."
Students said learning al fresco does not have to be limited to ELA.
"It's a good idea to learn outside because we feel more relaxed. It creates an environment that makes us eager to participate,” said one student. "Trips, PE, Science experiments, and real-world applications for math are examples of learning that we feel can be done outside. We feel it is important for us to have access to fresh air at different points throughout the day as long as it is safe."