O Sarkis, Sarkis! Wherefore art thou Sarkis? –At the Tony’s!!!

The Tony Awards’ 1st Ever Annual

To be presented at the
69th Annual Tony Awards Ceremony June 7 2015
Radio City Music Hall
New York City

Ken Sarkis, Drama Teacher Extraordinaire, Palm Valley School

We proudly nominate

Mr. Ken Sarkis Educator Extraordinaire

to honor his 50 years of bringing passion, imagination, creativity, joy, & an intense love of the theatre
to thousands of young boys and girls

Excerpts from the Nominating Essays:

Ken Sarkis has been teaching middle school kids on both coasts for over 50 years, and has become a living legend. Equal parts magician and taskmaster – able to tap into a kid’s inner creative spirit and show him the way to express it – he is a bracing drill sergeant demanding the very best of his charges, and an embracing father figure full of love and generosity. Hundreds of middle school students have gone through his exacting, challenging, inspiring drama program – in which, along with the skills required to appear on stage, they learn the value of self-control, discipline, integrity, honesty, accountability and teamwork. He shouts, he cajoles, he threatens, he sweetens, he sets the bar high and demands that that bar be reached, he digs deep, he encourages, he inspires – and the results are downright miraculous. He transforms a ragtag gaggle of undisciplined middle schoolers into a professional troupe of actors, emphasizing motivation, consistency, discipline, projection, articulation, harmony (both musical and social) – as well as generosity, joy and love.

. . . . I nominate Ken Sarkis for the Tony Education Award.

–Christopher Griffin English Department Palm Valley School

Ken Sarkis is a rarity in this world. He is a brilliant artist, a modest man and an extraordinary teacher. His love and achievement in the worlds of theatre and teaching combine, making him a remarkable person who has had a profoundly positive effect on the lives of the many students whom he has taught over the years. Ken Sarkis is deserving of the Excellence in Theatre Education Award because the phrase so aptly describes the man.

. . . . Having seen first-hand the effects of his work as an artist and a teacher on the lives of so many students, he is most deserving of this award.

–Respectfully submitted, David B. Mulé

Former Head of School Mr. Graham Hookey–

I had the good fortune of being the senior administrator in the school Ken worked in for nine years, (Palm Valley School) from 1999-2008. With little experience in anything other than what I would classify as the “standard” arts programs in 99% of schools, I had the most amazing experience to see Ken take the middle school drama program in our school and turn it into a cultural phenomenon. Ken’s dedication to the performing arts saw his students blossom into exceptional speakers (many students went on to win titles and scholarships through state Shakespeare competitions and public speaking contests), impressive actors, singers and dancers and, most of all, thoughtful, respectful and hard-working young people. In the school, it WAS “cool” to aspire to high performance in academics, arts and athletics all at the same time. That “culture” graduated large proportions of high school students who were extremely well accomplished in all three areas, chased with outstanding scholarship opportunities by colleges across the country.

I have been in education for 35 years and a senior administrator for 25. In that time I have had the good fortune of working with many excellent educators. But like his students, no one has ever had the same impact on my own value system and dedication to education as Ken has had. Truly, he is extraordinary, and has my deepest respect.

–Graham Hookey, Head of School

March 30, 2009. I am just returning from an after-school cross-country meet. There’s a teacher sitting in a small auditorium, penning the last few pages of a play he’s written for his middle school students. It’s past 7 p.m., and he’s been free to go home for hours now, but he doesn’t. Instead he stays and works on this play which he’s been constructing for months. His eyes are red. “I’m tired, Jakey,” he says to me, but this self-acknowledgement only makes him smile to himself and propels him deeper into the world he’s creating. Being thirteen, I remember wondering why anyone would want to stay at school a moment longer then they had to, so I ask him, “Why are you still here, Sarkis?” He stops writing and looks up at me, “Because I owe these kids something good.” I left shortly after, but I still don’t think he left until early morning. Ken Sarkis became my hero that night.

As a thirteen year-old kid, I didn’t understand why he would want to stay at school so late for his students, but now it has never been so clear. He fills the need he has found – the need for creative spark, for discipline, the need to model the genuine joy of the creative process and the love of theatre for all his students. What an extraordinary teacher.

–Jake Phillips
Freshman
NYU Tisch – Playwrights Horizons Theatre School

*The Bird on Fire has learned that there were 750 teachers nominated for the award around the country. The list was cut to 25. Mr. Sarkis is in that list of 25. The announcement of the top three finalists is to be made this week. Keep your fingers crossed. Mr. Sarkis may be headed to New York City this June!!!