Waitsburg's Spring Recital highlights student performances and growth

WAITSBURG—The Waitsburg School’s Spring recital once again had the bounce and verve of Mrs. J’s direction. The K-5 students used the whole gym to move around with sweeping gestures, full voices, and lively dancing. They pulled all the stops out on lively pieces like “Boogy Woogy Boy of Company B” and “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” and sensitive pieces like Paul McCartney’s “Blackbird.”

The audience couldn’t help but laugh and clap at the joy of it all. Principal Pickel acknowledged the students’ improved confidence and musical prowess (thanks to Mrs. Jagelski’s deft input and patience) and thanked all who participated. It was great hearing the ever-supportive Dr. Randy Pearson on the keyboards again. (Gratitude is a “song” that always plays well and that everybody needs to hear.)

I applaud the sixth-grade teacher and Mrs. J for their daring in putting on the musical “Dig It; A Musical Tale of Ancient Civilizations” If challenging to understand, the fault was not with the performances but with the musical for having too many historical and mythological characters in one short piece. With so many great stories possible, there was not much of a story uniting the musical.

The kids did a great job projecting and looking cool in the costumes created by Mary Luce. 

Someday, those young ones will read the entire “Epic of Gilgamesh” and learn of his treacherous journey to find the soul of his best friend Enkidu, or how King Tut made an impact though he ruled only ten years, from nine years old to nineteen; or how Herodotus the Greek made history make sense.

Even a mediocrely written”musical” might plant the seeds that will get people’s attention later on.

Editor’s note: The writer’s grandkids, Olivia and Liam Kiefel, were in the musical, and were stars among the other stars.)