A world of greasers and socs, of brotherhood and rebellion, came to life in one of this fall’s middle school honors electives. Inspired by S.E. Hinton’s iconic novel “The Outsiders,” English teacher Christine Brennan Davis crafted a unique course that combines literature, theater, and film.
After noticing the resounding success of “The Outsiders” musical on Broadway and recalling how deeply the novel resonated with students earlier in her career, Brennan Davis proposed the creation of an ambitious honors elective, involving a close reading of the text, a trip to see the Broadway show, and a screening of the 1983 film. In class, the students would hone their literary analysis skills by crafting probing questions, draw personal connections to the text’s themes, and deconstruct the text to understand its underlying meaning and purpose.
“This is just one example of the magic that happens when exceptional educators are given agency. At The Elisabeth Morrow School, faculty members are empowered to create dynamic, engaging courses that excite our students,” says Head of School Marek Beck, Ph.D.
The elective attracted twice as many students as anticipated, in part due to Brennan Davis’ ability to create a collaborative and highly engaging learning environment. “As an honors elective, this class is more rigorous with higher workload demands on students, but our students have taken ownership of their learning, actively seeking out opportunities to deepen their understanding of the book and its themes,” she adds.
The elective — offered to seventh and eighth graders — was of such interest that it prompted a sixth grader to advocate for herself to enroll in the class.
“Since this is a seventh- and eighth-grade elective, there was still a chance I wouldn’t get in the class. Thankfully, Ms. Brennan Davis talked with Assistant Head of Middle School Mr. Allen, and other faculty to let me join,” says sixth-grader Luna O. “I love this elective because we talk about the book and connect ourselves to it. The book made me feel so many different things. I laughed and cried in the same chapter! I would do it all again if I could.”
Another student, seventh-grader Caila H., says she wanted to join the elective because her dad read this book when he was a kid. “He told me it was a very interesting and dramatic book,” she says. “Although it introduced some heavy topics, I immediately had a big interest. I was also very excited when it was announced that we would be watching the film and seeing the Broadway musical.”
Shining Bright
“Engaging with a novel through reading, discussion, and creative expression deepens students’ understanding and appreciation of literature,” says Brennan Davis. “The characters and themes in ‘The Outsiders’ still resonate today, allowing our students to explore their own identities and values.”
Their culminating project reflected their “golden” qualities, aligning with the novel’s “stay gold” theme. The students presented their final project in different creative formats, such as a poem, a composition, or a collage.
“Throughout the novel, our protagonist Ponyboy sees the beauty and goodness in the world, even in the face of adversity. This ‘goldness’ is something that we must cherish as we grow older,” says Brennan Davis. “The students’ final projects allow them to share their unique ‘goldenness,’ showcasing how they plan to positively impact the world.”
Backstage Pass to Broadway
In November, our students journeyed to New York City to attend “The Outsiders,” reimagined as a groundbreaking musical, which won four Tony Awards. Our students scored autographs from cast members and even met an orchestra member — guitarist Matt Beck, who happens to be the brother of our head of school, Marek Beck, Ph.D.
To further enrich their learning, faculty members Emily Spaeth (music teacher), Giovanni Pucci (actor), and Sarah Smith (art teacher) joined the academic outing to explore with the students how the novel’s themes of social class, friendship, and growing up are expressed in different artistic forms.
“The musical gave an opportunity to develop other characters’ internal monologues,” says Pucci. “The whole book is Ponyboy’s internal monologue. It’s him thinking and talking and describing his life’s events. But in the musical, because we see these other characters and hear them sing, we get into their minds, too. So it was a real opportunity for the creative team behind this musical to open it up and hear more of other characters’ internal thoughts and dialogues, which made it really interesting.”
Spaeth noted how the musical did a great job creating a soundtrack from scratch. “It helped to flesh out a lot of the characters and get to know them better.” She also liked the style of music that they chose, “which was authentic to the time and place that the musical was happening. The music added to the grittiness and the feeling of this story. This is a rough situation, and having the hard electric guitars and things added to that feeling.”
“I was impressed by how they utilized such little set design for so many different things, especially the back wall,” says Smith. “It was downtown Tulsa and then it became the inside of the church, and then it became the backdrop of the big fight. It was interesting, especially how they used that screen throughout the play. They would bring it forward and lower it to a certain degree depending on what scene we were looking at, and that was subtle and, I think, really powerful. It made me feel like we were being transported to a lot of different places.”
Through this immersive experience, students witnessed firsthand how the arts can elevate storytelling, foster empathy, and inspire creativity.
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