Imagine walking into school one morning and having the chance to hear history directly from a past president of the United States. On Oct. 11 students at Essex Elementary School (EES) had the chance to experience just that, with President Abraham Lincoln brought to life by actor-storyteller Lou del Bianco, thanks to the efforts of the EES PTO Cultural Arts Committee.

Del Bianco’s show includes authentic quotations and explores Lincoln’s life as not only the president, but as a frontiersman and a storyteller, according to del Bianco’s website. He also comes prepared with handouts for teachers to use to tie the show into various parts of school curricula.

“Our continuous pursuit is to develop the ‘whole child’ here at EES, which goes far beyond the rigors of our academic curricula. The cultural arts programs sponsored by the PTO enhance and support not only the curriculum, but extend and enrich the lives of our students beyond the curriculum,” said Essex Elementary School Principal Jennifer Tousignant.

“There are many benefits to this one assembly: students learn about a past president as we are in the midst of a presidential election year, as well as hearing of Lincoln’s strong values including those of justice and perseverance, which are life lessons for our youth,” Tousignant continued. “Often our PTO chooses programs that introduce a particular concept of topic to students which inspires our children to ask questions, investigate, and learn more.”

The committee, a subcommittee of the Essex Elementary School PTO, has worked to bring in a number of diverse artistic and cultural acts each school year to enrich the student experience for the past 25 years, according to Tousignant. The program allows students to be exposed to a wider variety of art, dance, music, and cultural performances from around the world than would otherwise be possible in the course of the normal school curriculum.

The three-member Cultural Arts Committee (Sarah Wadle, Sarah Rector, and Susan Strecker) uses a PTO-designated budget each summer to find and book acts for the coming school year. Funds are raised in part through the annual book sale, Harvest Fest, wrapping paper sale, and other fundraising initiatives put on by the school throughout the year. The committee chooses from a range of both local and national and international programs, and performances are held in the school cafeteria or gym.

Past performers have included the Essex Winter Series String Quartet, a Russian folk dance group, musical-history program Boogie Chillun, hip hop dancers Poetry in Motion, the Yale Whiffenpoofs a capella group, and Mikata African Dance and Drum, among others. The committee often uses Young Audiences, a Connecticut-based organization that vets programming for appropriateness for school audiences, according to Wadle.

“It’s really interesting to see the children connect with these acts,” said Wadle. “If we connect one child to a future passion in life, we’ve met our goal.”

The Cultural Arts Program allows for student enrichment and increases their exposure to diverse experiences outside of their daily life, said Wadle, noting in particular the opportunity to share string instruments with students through the Essex Winter Series String Quartet, something not currently part of the EES musical education curriculum. She also noted the importance of allowing students to see different artistic skills taken to the next level. For example, beginning music students might be shown what can be done with instruments, with passion and practice. There is also often the opportunity for students to participate in front of their peers, often stepping out of their comfort zones and gaining confidence in the process.

“The program certainly raises [student] awareness about the world around them, all the different types of people and different forms of cultural arts,” said Rector. “School budgets are tight these days. Things are getting cut, we all know that. Not every school can benefit from these enrichment programs. We are so lucky to have generous parents who contribute to the PTO so that we can give our kids these valuable experiences.

The events seem to be well-received by students, who sometimes send thank-you notes directly to performers as a class after seeing the show, but more often thank the Cultural Arts Committee for bringing these acts to the school at the annual Volunteer Appreciation Day.

Each performance will be listed in the school’s monthly newsletter. Upcoming performers this year include Kahana Hula in November, the Connecticut Ballet in January, and Crystal Night Glass Trio, Siberian musicians who perform on crystal glass, in April.