The Deer Lakes Middle School will proudly present School House Rock Live Jr., a show that the cast says will double down on having fun and learning in every scene.

In a lot of ways, their preparation for the show has taken on authentic moments of lighthearted cheerfulness and encouragement to fully embrace and thrive in each role.

“We have gone over dances in the chorus room and hallways, and we have worked on musical songs around the piano,” Jordyn Crawford said. “At one point, one of our classmates was singing her song, and we had this huge circle around her and we all joined in singing along. She always sounded really, really good, and after we did that she has sounded incredible every time she sings. Supporting each other like that makes everyone the best they can be.”

“You have to feel that excitement in those moments as you get closer to the show,” Karissa Tofil added. “It’s those little moments that we have that builds us up so that instead of feeling like you’re just another person on stage you have the confidence to stand out as a performer to make yourself and everyone else that much better.”

Based on the Saturday morning educational cartoons, this stage adaptation of School House Rock Live Jr. features several classic favorites, including "Conjunction Junction", "Three is a Magic Number" and more.

A cast of more than 50 students in grades 6, 7 and 8 will take the stage in a production that is nearly entirely student-led with choreography by high schoolers Ella Bieniek, Kiersten Beiber, Katrina Beiber and Juliet Moore and 8th grader Rylee Savinda. Sets are designed by sophomore Shayne Parks. Lights and sound are also run by various Deer Lakes students.

Molly Farster, who plays a teacher named Tammy on the first day of school, is excited for audiences to experience their iteration of School House Rock Live Jr.

“Our practices are so much fun, which I think is partly because we are all such great friends but also because of how much fun this musical is to perform,” Molly said. “I think everyone who joins us to see the show will end up having just as much fun as us.”

Karissa’s big moment will be when she sings “I’m just a Bill,” a tune about how a bill becomes a law.

“Being a performer and acting out as someone else on stage is so much fun,” Karissa said. “That’s part of why you do it. You also get to experience everyone growing together, especially from one year to the next. I’ve been in the ensemble and in a supporting role prior to this year like most of the other eighth graders. It’s exciting that we’ve grown into more prominent roles to show what we can do as performers.”

Jordyn will be “locked in,” for her performance, one in which she gets to be the silliest on stage while singing, “Unpack Your Adjectives.”

“I’ll probably be thinking about how goofy I look in my backpack,” Jordyn said. “I put on this character of being crazy and goofy, and I’ve gotten nicknames for it. It’s just fun to put on a funny character and to not have to think about putting on a straight face. It’s a relief to let loose in that way and to experience the high of adrenaline you get from performing."

With the cast of more than 50 performers and about 20 crew members, being mentors has been particularly important to eighth graders who have taken on lead roles.

“Building your confidence for every show takes time, but you do that by supporting each other and not taking yourself too seriously,” Molly said. “If other people see that I mess up a line during practice, I can shake it off and not be embarrassed. I think that only helps everyone realize it’s OK to not be perfect in every moment as long as you let it go and focus on doing your best.”

They hope to pack the High School auditorium for each performance.

"People should see this show because we’ve worked so hard on it, and there’s so much you can learn from watching it,” Jordyn said. “It’s also really important to support everyone in what they do and to encourage all of the sixth and seventh graders to continue performing. Everyone who is there with us is going to be a part of something special.”

Tickets are $10 and are available at the door (High School Auditorium).

Show times are at:

7:00PM Thursday, February 13
6:30PM Friday, February 14
2:00 PM Saturday, February 15