“Laughter Is The Sound of The Soul Dancing.” – Jarod Kintz, This Book is Not for Sale

This past fall I had the extreme good fortune to be the official photographer for one of the most insightful, entertaining and worthwhile education projects of my 20 year career in this field, the results of which you can see in the collage above. Have you ever seen such a group of Grade 7 souls dancing like this group? Let me start at the beginning.

This summer I made the acquaintance of Sue Stephenson, a former VP and Principal in Toronto and author of three books on a range of timely education topics such as trust, teamwork and the power of laughter and happiness. Sue was in search of some marketing advice and to say that our meeting and working together was a happy and serendipitous piece of good luck is an understatement! Through our work together I was also able to stretch my photography muscles in a series of workshops leading up to a Comedy Showcase involving an energetic and irrepressibly optimistic and funny group of Grade 7 students at Sue’s former school, North Kipling Junior Middle School here in Toronto. Through the series of workshops, the students learned the value of building confidence speaking in front of others, developing oral and written language and creativity skills, building the courage to take risk and learning the difference between helpful and hurtful humour. Comedy is a sophisticated and tough skill to learn and I was lucky to witness these students grow into their funny bones this fall!  I took the photos above in the first two workshops. I then created a gallery of photos that the students and teachers could use in reflective blog posts and promotion pieces leading up to the final showcase.

I must say that as I was editing and posting these photos to the gallery, I could not stop smiling! Nothing cleanses the soul as much as the sight of kids laughing. Laughter really is the best medicine! This is especially true in this corner of Toronto where students and teachers often face challenges to joy and laughter. The weekend just prior to the second workshop, this community suffered an horrific shooting that was sure to shake anyone’s belief in safety and security let alone allow for the lightheartedness that leads to the laughter you see above. Yet laughter has restorative qualities that help us survive. Perhaps comedian Bill Cosby says it best: “Through humour, you can soften some of the worst blows that life delivers. And once you find laughter, no matter how painful your situation might be, you can survive.”

I want to thank Sue and the students and teachers of North Kipling JMS for including me in your circle of laughter. You made my year!

Would you like to see the Showcase? Our thanks also goes to the CBC for attending the final Showcase and featuring it in this weekend’s edition of Our Toronto. Please watch, and be prepared to laugh here.  If you would like to learn more about the process leading up to the Showcase, please visit Sue’s blog here.

“I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out my nose.” – Woody Allen