A Place Where Students S.O.A.R.

Students working on the two-act comedy have been able to experience many different roles, from cast and stage crew to serving the post-production dessert to friends and family attending the production. Marx said there are tremendous benefits for students working on a stage production.

“Not only will they remember the experience well into adulthood and the unique camaraderie of working closely with other students, but they’ll also feel the pride of reaching for and attaining a common goal,” Marx said. “Even more than putting on a successful production and learning new skills, we aim for more significant life lessons such as teamwork, adaptability, creativity, perseverance, overcoming fear, commitment to hard work, organization, building confidence and supporting one another through both mistakes and achievements alike.”

Tickets to the spring production, 6:30 p.m. May 19-20 will be available through the school office.

Helping to take the lead in the production are members of the new theater/ improv class, offered to the high school students in 9th through 12th grades. Marx said the year-long class covers a multitude of theater-related education and skills-based learning, including many different areas of stagecraft: basic acting skills and methods, jobs in the theater world, improvisation training and how it relates to real-life scenarios. There are also backstage roles, including tech, design, makeup, costuming and all manner of production, as well as character and script analysis, monologues and a bit of script writing too.

Marx said she’s excited to see students grow and develop through the course, and enjoys seeing older students take on the role of mentors for younger students during the play’s production.

... From play to playground

Outside the classroom, the school’s younger students are eager to see the renovations on the elementary school playground, said Elementary School Principal Carrie Worrell. New features that will be added to the playground this summer include a swing set with eight swings, two climbers and an embankment slide. There are also plans to create a half-court concrete pad for basketball.

“We know that these elements will be a great addition to what was started last summer— a playhouse, stump steppers and a pea gravel pit,” Worrell said.

A cool fundraiser

Another improvement on the school’s wish list is air conditioning, and the staff is doing what they can to make that wish come true by raising funds to help pay for it. The AC will improve the climate for learning during the warmer months and reduce humidity-related issues as well. Aaron Fassler, principal of the middle and high schools, said that if the school meets its fundraising goal, they hope the AC can be installed during the summer break and be ready for the start of the new school year.