Saturday, Feb. 6, at 2 PM - streaming live on YouTube and Facebook

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What families can learn from "The Velveteen Rabbit"
Join us for a conversation about how we can help our children process and cope with the changes that the pandemic continues to bring. We'll watch a few clips from our streaming production of "The Velveteen Rabbit" and discuss parallels between the experiences of characters in the show and the experiences of the children in our lives.

 

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Meet Our Panelists

Kelly Lewis Kelly Lewis is a Professional School Counselor, who has worked with elementary students for 15 years. She graduated from Converse College with her undergraduate degree, and received her Master’s in Counseling and Development from Winthrop University. Currently she is pursuing a Master’s in Educational Leadership. As a School Counselor, she’s had the privilege of working with students in K-5th grades on a wide range of topics including loss & grief, friendship, anxiety, family changes, and other life skills. She is married to Euston, who is a saint and has put up with her shenanigans for more than 10 years, and they have 3 of the sweetest kids, Milan (16), Trey (8) and Morgan (6).

Charlotte Ponder Charlotte Ponder is a kindergartner at Charlotte Country Day School. She loves soccer, space, her friends, and jumping on the trampoline. This is the first year Charlotte has participated in Children’s Theatre of Charlotte, but she is already a big fan. When she grows up, she would like to be an astronaut.

Elizabeth Ponder Elizabeth Ponder is an attorney turned stay-at-home parent of three who recently moved from Asheville to Charlotte. She is an avid runner and hiker and is always happiest on the side of a mountain. In this year of COVID, Elizabeth is also home-schooling her fourth grader. She was very involved in fundraising for various Asheville schools and non-profit organizations and is enjoying learning more about her new city and the opportunities here.

Karly Spears Karly Spears is creatively navigating her way through her seventh year of teaching. She is currently teaching an energetic and loving group of third graders at University Park Creative Arts Elementary School. Her goal each year is to foster a love of reading within each of her students that will last a lifetime.

Arlethia Hailstock - Moderator Arlethia Friday Hailstock is an outspoken advocate for social justice in the arts and in our community. In addition to having served as Community Initiatives Leader at Children’s Theatre of Charlotte for the past two years, she is co-chair of Diversity On and Off Stage, a newly formed, Charlotte-based collective of artists and arts leaders working to make the experiences of BIPOC artists more equitable, just and inclusive. Arlethia also works as an actor and voice actor when not working her 9-5, serving the community or spending time with her husband and two teenaged boys.

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The Velveteen Rabbit - Creative Team & Cast