The Lower School program lit up the Josephine Muller Auditorium stage as students from early childhood through fourth grade put on meaningful and lively productions.
The early childhood and kindergarten program reflected upon and celebrated their curriculum with performances related to The Adventures of Bear Witness. AFS’s youngest students helped to make the set, create their costumes and develop their numbers for the show! The program finale of All I Really Need by Raffi was an appropriate send-off for winter break with lyrics, “All I really need is a song in my heart, food in my belly and love in my family.”
First, second, third and fourth grades came together to bring a program titled Who Will Be a Witness? to life, where the audience bore witness to “how cooperation brings three competitive video game champions together, how two kids discover that their parents’ rules show how much they care and just how a little appreciation can change the heart of a mean wizard.” Students contributed in every way, not just as cast members, but also by collaborating on storylines, costumes and the colorful set. Students also provided enchanting music at the transitions between performances and narrated the show. The performances were not only thoughtful, holding deep meaning, they were visually stunning and highlighted the diversity of student talent every classroom at AFS holds. At the end of a stirring finale performance of “Lovely Day” by Bill Withers with students standing in the aisles of the auditorium, the audience exploded with applause and cheers followed by Lower School Director Andrea Emmons wishing all a lovely day and a wonderful winter break.
Lower School music teacher Keisha Hirlinger directed and choreographed both shows and wrote Who Will Be a Witness?. Amanda Milz provided art direction and set design for the programs. Andrea Emmons wrote The Adventures of Bear Witness. Technical direction was provided by Seth Schmitt-Hall. Rich Nourie, Justin Solonynka, Doug Hirlinger and Colin Getz provided music accompaniment.
