Sons and Daughters of Staff
Take On Acting, Crafts, Computers and More

By Jan Jennings I May 2, 2005

They were no more than five minutes into the workshop when mothers and daughters and mothers and sons - each duo a stranger to the other - were showing their favorite dance step, or improvising one, then copying the steps of each other. They mimicked a ballerina and a swimmer, did a twist, a twirl, the hula, an indescribable shake, and an I-don't-have-a-favorite-dance shrug step and many others. And this was just the warm-up.

Paul Linsley, studio manager of the UCSD Craft Center, demonstrates the art of working with clay to a group of children and their parents.

No easing into this La Jolla Playhouse Workshop held last week at the Cross-Cultural Center as part of Take Our Sons and Daughters to Work Day at UCSD. And this was true for most of the eight workshops covering the gamut from acting and dancing to a heads up at the UCSD Police Station. The mantra: Dig right in and participate, physically and/or verbally.

Annie Katica, teaching artist at the La Jolla Playhouse, led the UCSD staffers and their daughters and sons in gradually more complicated physical and verbal expressions in the acting workshop.

"Theater is very hands on," Katica said. "Basically, it involves changing the body and the voice." With that, she proceeded to demonstrate different walks, like a belly man, a Jell-O man, with a pointed nose, with a string on your head; and talks, low as if a bowling ball were rolling around deep in your throat, to top of the head HIGH, with a humorous in-between Fran Drescher-like talking through the nose.

The mothers, sons and daughters followed suit, learning, as Katica said, that a character is created using all levels of the voice and the body. Soon the would-be thespians were bravely testing dialogue with different emotions - happy, threatening, flirting, frightened, dramatic, sarcastic, bossy and shy - and unconsciously adding body movement to punctuate their words.

"You see, you just sort of naturally fall into the mood, or the character with your whole body," said Katica.

Victoria Williamson, left, watches as La Jolla Playhouse teaching artist Annie Katica, shows some dance and drama moves to her daughter, Brigitte.

Victoria Williamson, a librarian in Social Sciences, brought her daughter Brigitte, while Carol Walker, an administrative assistant with the Faculty, Staff Assistance Program, brought her granddaughter, Sarah Dexheimer, one of the more acting-savvy of the group, who recently participated in a youth presentation of Beauty and the Beast.

In no time at all, the group was into improvisation, creating characters, listening, responding, adding information - and not just learning acting tips, but having fun.

Following the creative workout with body and voice at the acting workshop, Victoria Williamson and daughter Brigitte next tried their hands at clay modeling at the workshop offered at the Crafts Center. Paul Linsley, studio manager, demonstrated the intricacies of modeling a sea shell in clay, while Brigitte and other daughters and sons pitched right into the clay and created their own bowls, plates, and boxes.

Detective Yolanda Smith of the UCSD Police Department outfits Carlos Soler with police gear as his mother, Gianina Ward, oversees. Carlos wants to be a detective.

More serious and every bit as informative was the workshop at the UCSD Police Station, where sons and daughters of staffers were photographed and fingerprinted and presented with a Child Identification Kit for parents to keep for their records.

Gianina Ward, a hospital assistant III, brought her sixth-grade son Carlos Soler, whose goal is to become a detective. Interacting with Carlos were UCSD detectives Yolanda Smith and John Smart, who fingerprinted and photographed Carlos and showed him the basic police gear that UCSD policemen and women don every day.

Pretty soon, Carlos was weighted down by the police protective vest, the gun belt which includes the gun, handcuffs, two magazines of bullets, a radio, spray, baton and flashlight. Then there was the stun gun and the helmet. Whew.

The show-and-tell at the Police Station also included an up close and personal check of the police car, the gear it carries in the trunk, the lighting of a flare and the interior buttons and whistles.

At the Supercomputer Center, Todd Johnson assists his daugher Mele animate graphics she has created on a computer.

A touchy topic, and one on the minds of many parents, is bullying, teasing and harassment of children at school. Carol Leah Rogers, education specialist with the Office of Sexual Harassment Prevention and Policy, led the workshop which explored the topic of bullying and how best to handle it.

"Bullying is when someone makes you feel bad," Rogers explained to the sons and daughters. "Someone might call you names, push you, tease you, maybe even take your lunch. What should you do about it?"

"Tell your mom and dad," answered Israel Perez, 5, the son of Luis Perez, Office of Academic Support and Information Services (OASIS), who also brought his daughter, Isabelle, 7.

"That's right," said Rogers. "It is important to ask for help. You all have the right to go to school, to play games, to be with your friends."

When Rogers asked the children if any of them had been bullied, Carlos Velásquez, 7, the son of Patrick Velásquez, OASIS director, spoke up. "The meanest boy at my school called me names," said Carlos. Carlos reported this to his teacher and also to his father who had a talk with the teacher. After that, the bullying stopped.

"It's important for parents of children who are being bullied to talk with school officials," Rogers said. "Not the parents of the child who is doing the bullying. That could just lead to more problems and animosity. Work with the school officials."

As a pep talk approach to the subject of bullying, Rogers asked the sons and daughters to come up with a few words that best describe them, words that make them feel good about themselves.

"Dude," said Carlos, with an infectious laugh. "And invincible."

Israel came up with "loving, happy, smart, and brother."

And though Carlos had felt bullied at school, he was happy to point out that most kids don't know that he has a purple belt in karate.

Meanwhile in other workshops for staffers and their sons and daughters:

. At the San Diego Supercomputer Center, sons and daughters received direction in graphic manipulation and animation and were encouraged to experiment and create.

. The American Medical Response workshop included speaking with an Emergency Medical Technician and exploring the inside of an ambulance.

. EarthKam was discussed and demonstrated in the SERF building.

. The Psychological and Counseling Services Workshop explored the ever-present question: "What do I want to be when I grow up?"

The day's festivities also included afternoon rock-climbing and hat-making.

The Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day is a national program launched by the Ms. Foundation to address the competing challenges of work and family. The foundation believes that for girls to achieve their full potential, in the home, workplace or community, boys also must be encouraged to reach their potential by participating fully in family, work and community.

Overseeing the Sons and Daughters events was Jessica Chapin-Geipel, special projects coordinator at the UCSD Women's Center.