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University of Iowa professor creating ‘Secret Schoolhouse’ aimed at awe, wonder
Only those with ‘golden ticket’ can get in to the event next week
Apr. 5, 2023 10:20 am, Updated: Apr. 5, 2023 7:48 pm
IOWA CITY — Years before cellphones were the size of your pocket — let alone in everyone’s hand and equipped with cameras and internet access — U2 packed Carver-Hawkeye Arena as part of the band’s 1987 Joshua Tree tour.
New to Iowa City, and a massive fan, a then-28-year-old David Gould looked into getting tickets. But they were pricey and in the nosebleed section and, in the end, he passed.
But, while the band was in town, Gould said a rumor began to trickle through the community that sparked in his psyche a sense of awe and wonder that remains today.
“About 11:30 at night, the story goes, they snuck out of their hotel and they showed up at The Mill,” Gould said of the former iconic Iowa City restaurant and music venue. “On a Tuesday night, there were 10 to 15 people … and they drank beers with them, they got up on stage and sang, they said sing with us, and it was this magical thing.”
No one was snapping photos or livestreaming or tweeting and “ruining the moment.”
“And the next morning, when I woke up and that story was percolating through Iowa City, there was a magic that happened,” he said. “This kind of wonder and surprise. And while to this day I've never seen U2 in person at a concert, I have always regretted I wasn't there for that night.”
Today, 35 years later, Gould is an administrator with the University of Iowa’s Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development and a member of the honors faculty. In his 28th year of UI employment, he’s garnered a reputation for innovative and inspirational instruction — spearheading, for example, town-and-gown initiatives like the “Green Room,” which in 2017 and in 2018 tasked his students with organizing a string of events at The Englert for the entire community.
Thousands turned out for the experiences — featuring thinkers, activists and entertainers like Zach Wahls, now an Iowa senator; Jane Elliott, an internationally-acclaimed diversity educator; and Khizr Khan, a political activist motivated by the death of his U.S. Army captain son.
But, Gould said, a lot has happened between the last Green Room four years ago and today. “It’s different right now,” he said.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of students across the country from classrooms to screens, and amplified a growing mental health crisis — with news and images of economic issues, climate concerns, international conflicts, gun violence, race- and gender-issues and increasingly discordant politics bombarding them daily.
“That’s the moment we’re in,” Gould said, describing the “heaviness” his students are feeling and his search for some form of meaningful response. “Wonder and surprise are kind of an antidote.”
Like the 1987 legend of U2 sneaking beers with fans in an Iowa City bar. And while Gould might not be able to get Bono up close and personal with his students over pizza, he’s not afraid to ask, “What if?”
What if we could re-imagine the ordinary? What if we could reclaim the spark? What if we could resurrect the joy eroded by years of pressure and stress and trauma? What if we could “rediscover the wonder?” Gould asked.
“When we are young, it is easy to see the world as a wild, unending place, surrounded by marvel and mystery,” he said. “As we age, that feeling of being wrapped in awe becomes harder to find.”
But Gould believes it’s there. And he has a plan to help his students and community find it. But it’s a secret.
The Secret Schoolhouse
“The Secret Schoolhouse” is a one-time event planned for 7:30 p.m. April 12 in The James Theater in Iowa City. The covert operation will require a ticket — a “golden ticket.” And they aren’t available for purchase.
“You can’t just show up for this,” Gould said.
The event is limited to 170 people, a large chunk of whom will be his students — although several dozen will go to community members. And they won’t be the familiar faces of community leaders, but rather individuals those prominent people choose to gift with the experience.
“These are the people that are the fabric of our community, that serve our community,” he said. “Or people that, just like my students, could really benefit from something that has a little wonder and surprise.”
Some of Gould’s students designated as “peer mentors,” who’ve been working with him for years and have been mentoring some of his newer undergraduate students, will distribute the student-designated tickets. Those mentors also are deeply involved in planning the event, working with Gould and several of his connections to create a swirling experience that leaves participants with a reinspired view of the world.
“We’re adding in the element of surprise, where people don't really know what they're walking into,” UI student mentor Kayla Cornett said. “I feel like a lot of us live our days very structured and planned. And this could be a time for those people to step out of their comfort zones and do something they're not used to doing.”
They will have to exert a little trust, Cornett said, as payment for the golden experience she hopes they receive. UI senior Lilli Scott said that’s a price she’s willing and eager to pay — especially since she’s already experienced one of Gould’s “life design” courses.
“It definitely gave me a bit of a second wind,” she said, sharing that many of her other classes focus on challenges and problems and things going wrong in the world.
“But I feel like his class focused a lot more on building a future and having a hope for tomorrow,” she said. “So it was just refreshing to get a different perspective.”
Having been gifted a gold ticket, Scott said she'll step into The Secret Schoolhouse with that energy.
“I’m not sure what entirely to expect,” she said. “But I’m excited.”
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
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