Teachers Preparing to Juggle This School Year

faculty and staff learned how to juggle from the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts during their in-service day at the school on Aug. 28, the day before students return from summer break.

"We spend a lot of the time working through data - heavy stuff," said South Elementary Principal Michelle Cinciripino. "We also wanted to do something fun."

"Juggling is keeping more things in the air than you have hands," said Dave Gillies of the Give and Take Jugglers.  "Kind of like teaching first grade."

Gillies, a former elementary school teacher who took up juggling to impress his fifth grade students, said that juggling with his partner, Nick Gregory, requires a lot of the same skills as teaching - teamwork, coordination, and leadership.

After a short performance with audience participation, Gillies and Gregory created stations and taught the audience their tricks.

"This has been a great experience," said Amy Smith, first-year South Elementary teacher. "It's great to work with people on a different level and have fun."

The faculty and staff - teachers, aides, secretaries and janitors - got in on the fun as part of a yearly tradition, that has included visites from basketball coach Phil Martelli and the Philly Phanatic in years past.

"I think these days are great," said Suzanne Frattone, a one-on-one aide. "You're mixed up, not with the people you're normally with."