Cheshire Academy teachers are lifelong learners and experts in their fields. We asked them to share their thoughts and scholarship on vital issues in education.
Sara Kelleher is an instructor in the Roxbury Academic Support Program at Cheshire Academy. A teacher for a decade, she holds an M.Ed. from Johns Hopkins University School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Kenyon College. She is finishing her doctorate on the navigational strategies girls of color use in academic and executive functioning coaching at Molloy University. She has been involved with CA’s Theater Program for five years, serving as costume designer for 2.5 years.
By Sara Kelleher, Roxbury Academic Support Instructor
Tucked away in the top corner of the Field House, the costume shop glows with its own kind of magic. Fairy lights trace the walls, flowers spill across the shelves, and sketches from past productions hang beside new designs in progress. Every inch of the room tells a story – of imagination, collaboration, and the shows that came before. Inside, student costumers are hard at work. Some are pinning garments onto dress forms. Others are carefully stitching at the sewing machine or experimenting with fabrics and trims, the hum of creativity filling the air.
Creating a Dynamic, Student-Driven World of Discovery
The costume workshop may be small, but it’s one of the most dynamic classrooms on campus. Students here aren’t just following instructions; they’re imagining, building, and problem-solving together. They designed the space themselves, choosing the colors, decorations, and what hangs on the walls. They decide how to organize materials, which pieces to display, and how to teach each other new skills. Every decision, from what fabric to use to how to fit a garment on an actor, is a collaboration.
In this student-driven environment, growth looks different for everyone. One afternoon, a student might celebrate using a hot-glue gun for the first time, while another completes an entire costume from scratch. Both milestones matter equally because both reflect learning, confidence, and care. What unites everyone in the shop is the shared goal of bringing a story to life, stitch by stitch.
Working behind the scenes doesn’t make the experience any less transformative. In fact, that’s where much of the quiet magic happens. The students who spend hours adjusting hems and hand-sewing buttons often discover a new kind of pride, one that comes not from being seen, but from creating something that helps others shine. Over time, I’ve watched students come out of their shells, find their artistic voices, and eventually become mentors to newer members, passing down skills and encouragement as naturally as breathing.
Research-Supported Process Takes Center Stage at Cheshire Academy
The costume shop is more than a workspace; it’s a microcosm of what makes Cheshire Academy special. It’s a place where learning is hands-on, where mistakes are part of the process, and where collaboration is the rule rather than the exception. Each student brings a unique perspective. Some love design, others love structure, and still others find joy in solving practical challenges. All of those talents come together to build something far bigger than any one person could accomplish alone.
A 2025 research report from the National Endowment for the Arts showed high school participation in extracurricular arts activities was associated with positive outcomes in math scores, graduation rates, and high school and college GPAs.
Arts participation was positively correlated with social-emotional attributes during ninth grade, and the number of fine arts credits completed in high school was associated with both a far higher likelihood of obtaining a high school diploma and higher first-year college GPAs.
Outcomes from the Costume Shop
Students in the costume shop learn to think on their feet and approach challenges with creativity. One student, who began sewing here at Cheshire Academy, grew so passionate about it that she joined 4-H to keep learning beyond school. Others have taken those same problem-solving skills into fields like engineering, design, and education – places where adaptability and persistence matter just as much as artistry. In the end, every project in the shop is a lesson in experimentation: how to try, adjust, and try again. That mindset is what students carry with them long after the final show closes.
When I think about what defines the arts at CA, it’s not only the final performance under the lights; it’s the process that unfolds quietly in spaces like this one. The costume shop shows how creativity, collaboration, and confidence grow side by side, and how the act of making can build both skill and self-belief.
That, to me, is where the real magic lives.
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