Students at Marlborough Elementary School enjoyed a unique experience on November 22, 2024 — shadow puppetry! The school assembly was put on by UConn puppeteers and made possible by a partnership between CoDE and the Marlborough PTO. This was the third multicultural assembly made possible at the school because of this partnership.
The Shadow Puppetry performance showcased Indian culture through the epic story of Ramayana. It was created and performed by Rahul Koonathara, a 12th-generation puppeteer and grad student in UConn’s Comparative Literary and Cultural Studies program.
In addition to the performances (one for 3rd-6th graders and another for Kindergartners-second graders), MES librarian Laura Rosas shared information with all of the students prior to the assembly to help them understand what they were about to see.
Christine Peach, PTO vice president, commented after the performance, “We received wonderful feedback about the performance! Thank you for bringing them to MES! It was such a unique experience for the students that wouldn’t otherwise have had such an experience. The puppets looked beautiful!”
Many thanks to Christine and the other members of the PTO, Laura Rosas, and to Marlborough CoDE members Christi Moraga and Karen Wilkinson for making this enriching and enjoyable experience possible for the students!
