Nutley and Montclair Teachers Combine Efforts to Save Programs

The doors of Montclair Film offered refuge from the cold winter air on January 16 as students from Montclair and Nutley alike came together to share their passion for artistic expression. Students shared riveting personal works, while simultaneously raising funds and awareness for the severe cutbacks at Montclair High School. 

“I had just learned about the budget cuts at Montclair High School, and I have a lot of ties to Montclar. The town is really near and dear to my heart, and so when I heard about how bad the budget cuts were, I saw that they were getting rid of programs like the Literary Magazine and Creative Writing Club, and I felt compelled to see if we could try to help in some way,” said Radio/TV Broadcasting and Creative Writing teacher Evan Dickerson. He reached out to Montclair teacher Jessica Buel, a contact in  Montclair’s creative writing programs. “We just spitballed ideas and a few emails later we came up with this concept of doing a shared open mic night, and the rest is history.” 

The chosen venue, Montclair Film, was a decision guided by Dickerson’s own experience with the establishment. “I actually worked for Montclair Film before I worked here in Nutley, and I still work there over the summer to teach screenwriting classes, so I know the types of things they do,” Dickerson said. Montclair Film has a history of being active within the community, encouraging young people to tell their stories and express themselves through their creativity.

Junior Darshini Radhakrishnan helped organize the event, personally introducing each performer to the audience beforehand. “Art and humanities is something that I’m really interested in, especially with the decline in things like this in society. I wanted to be a part of an event that promoted it.”

Senior Haley Papeo was among the students who performed. “I thought it would be a fun opportunity to express myself with a poem I was really proud of,” she said. She shared the literary process behind her work, explaining that “most of my poems are centered on a focal idea or line, usually within the first stanza, and then I think about a way I can express that idea in a new way.”

Outpouring community support makes Dickerson confident that more events like this can be held in the future. “I was expecting to fill half the theater, the fact that we sold all but nine seats is phenomenal, and it’s really encouraging. Now that we know we can do it, and I think everyone was happy with it, we definitely have to do it again.’’