Circus school inspires peace, teamwork

As a kid, did you ever want to quit school and join the circus? Well in St. Louis, Missouri, kids have the option of attending "circus school" at the city museum, a museum / playground built from recycled "trash" and art from the city.

Jessica Hentoff is the director of the extra-curricular circus school. She's been involved in several state-of-the-art projects including "Circus Salaam Shalom", a workshop for circus training with Jewish and Muslim children at the same time.

The New York Times reported, "On one trip, children from the St. Louis program have gone to Israel to perform with Jewish and Arab children with the Galilee Circus. This past summer, a group of those children came to St. Louis. While there are language barriers at times, Hentoff said those are usually overcome once the children rehearse and perform together. Circus acts, she notes, rely on trust."

"Here, they (children) can define who they are. This is where they choose who they are and what they can do," Hentoff says.

More info: http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/01/14/america/NA-FEA-US-Social-Circus.php