February 23, 2026
Important Dates…
Monday, March 2-Friday, March 6: One week residency with Visiting Artist Beth Wright of Muse Machine.
Tuesday, March 10: Dine to Donate from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Troy Chipotle.
Wednesday, March 11: Evening appointments for Parent-Teacher Conferences, 4:30-7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 12: School CLOSED for Parent-Teacher Conferences.
Thursday, March 19: Overfield Family Partnership (OFP) Meeting, 6:30 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Friday, March 20: OFP Trivia Night, 7-10 p.m. in the Gathering Place.
Insights from the Studio
“Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” —G.K. Chesterton
Carla Briggs provided me with this provocative quote in response to a recent conversation about some student work. We were looking at a clay scene depicting a collection of monsters from a show that was rated for older audiences. The energy the students were putting into the sculpture was striking. They had eagerly returned to work on it for multiple days. They shared ideas and space, and accepted critiques from me and from each other. They made plans for strengthening joints, fine-tuning details, and arranging the different parts to tell their story more effectively. This kind of focus and commitment was not to be taken lightly, so I continued to make appointments with the boys for them to return to the studio to continue their work.
I asked them how these monsters made them feel. “Happy!” was the consensus. “Creepy,” was another answer, but it was offered with a toothy grin. Another student volunteered that it was fun to work with his friends on something they all thought was a good idea. I read between the lines that it was incredibly enticing working on something taboo. We all catch glimpses of things we’re not supposed to see or would rather not see, whether in commercials, in the toy aisle, or from a friend with a different experience. Here, the forbidden and the frightening were woven together into fascination.
Chesterton’s quote gives voice to the empowerment of seeing a terrifying thing defeated. Killing is not the only way to do it. By playing with monsters, children develop another kind of power over them. I see this when a toddler creates a chaotic drawing or collage, says it’s a monster, and laughs. I see it when a preschooler carefully builds a monster out of clay, builds a home and a bed for it, and says, “The monster is holding a heart. That means he loves you.” I see it when a child volunteers to show me what a monster looks like, and clearly delights in gnashing his terrible teeth and roaring his terrible roar.
Grappling with monsters is a universal pursuit. As much as we are learning to deal with monsters, we are learning what we want to do with our fear. In the Harry Potter series, Professor Lupin memorably teaches his students to defeat their fears by making them ridiculous so they can laugh at them. I thought of this as the group I described at the beginning shared their sculpture with some classmates. There were giggles, raised eyebrows, excited whispers. Then one girl raised her hand and offered admiringly, “I like how you made the Demogorgon cute.” Saying “yes” to the children’s interests in this case was also saying yes to dialog, engagement, perseverance and some metaphorical lion taming.
Elizabeth Perry – Atelierista
Artwork from some of Overfield’s 2nd and 3rd graders is now on display at the Troy-Hayner Cultural Center as part of the annual Young Masters exhibit. This show highlights the creative efforts of K-12 students from Troy City Schools, Troy Christian Schools, St. Patrick School, and Overfield. It features nearly 400 pieces of student artwork. The exhibit is open during Hayner’s regular business hours through Sunday, April 22. Exhibits at Troy-Hayner Cultural Center are always free and open to the public.
Welcome, Beth Wright!
We are so pleased to share that Beth Wright will be at Overfield next week from March 2nd-6th as our third visiting artist of the year! Beth serves as Muse Machine’s Director of Elementary Programs as well as a Program artist. She is returning for her seventh residency at Overfield. During her time with us we will be focusing on integrating social emotional learning and movement, helping children become more aware of their emotions and to connect with each other both physically and emotionally, and using movement and dance to connect with each other and build community.
According to the Muse Machine website, “Beth Wright is a dancer, choreographer and educator of dance. A former member of the Dayton favorite Rhythm in Shoes and currently affiliated with Puddingstone Project, she has performed for audiences and taught dancers of all ages nationwide. Beth is comfortable with all grade levels and is particularly fond of working with early childhood. One of her favorite Muse experiences was as an artist and project administrator for PNC’s project, For Me, For You, For Later, which taught basic financial education to pre-kindergarten students throughout Dayton Metro Libraries and area preschools.”
Many thanks to the Ohio Arts Council, whose grant support makes this program possible!
Please join us in welcoming Beth back to Overfield!
With your participation, we raised $126.27 from the Panera Dine to Donate! Thank you for supporting OFP in all they do for our school!
Registration for 2026-2027
Enrollment for the 2026-2027 is now available! You can find a description of class offerings and can sign your child up on our website.
If you have not already registered, we encourage you to do so right away, as almost all classes are full.
PLEASE NOTE: After you have submitted your online registration form, you will be contacted by the office within the next 72 hours to verify your class choice and pay your registration fee. Your registration is not confirmed until you have been contacted by the office and paid your registration fee. If the class you wish to enroll in is full, you will be given the option to be put on a waiting list.
Don’t hesitate to reach out to the office if you have any questions about next year’s class offerings. We hope to welcome you to Overfield next school year!
