Students at Rosspoint Elementary School took a break from their regular school day Friday to perform Indonesian music and shadow puppetry under the direction of visiting artists Gregory Acker and Brenda Wirth.

“During this time — when you are getting ready for testing — the teachers and students are stressed out, so it’s good that they can have a period during the day where they work with him. It is a change from regular classwork, and they have really liked it,” said Rosspoint Principal Bryan Howard.

During their visit, Acker and Wirth worked with students to increase their knowledge of Indonesian culture throughout a week-long course. Acker, who visited the school last year, said he enjoys working with the students.

“This is a great school to work at. They are very supportive of the arts and just want to get everyone involved and have a good time,” he said.

Several school administrators said students had been anticipating the event all year.

“The kids really enjoy getting to work with them,” said fourth- and fifth-grade arts and humanities teacher Beverly White. “They have had a lot of fun this week.”

“The students have asked all year if Mr. Acker is coming back. They really look forward to getting to work with him,” added middle school arts and humanities teacher Joy Benson.

Tucker Lewis, a seventh-grader, said he learned a lot during the week-long event.

“Mr. Acker has taught us about the culture of Indonesia. He is real descriptive and he enjoys working with us a lot. If you enjoy doing something, you can probably teach it pretty good,” Lewis said.

Both Acker and Wirth said they were impressed with the students they encountered during their visit.

“I think the kids did a great job. They had to come together and work as a team and I was very impressed with the way they came together,” Acker said.

“I really enjoyed working with the kids and seeing their ideas come to life,” Wirth said. “I think the students did really well. I don’t think that most kids today are used to performing in front of an audience, but I think these kids gave a good performance.”