This year, Rowan County’s Drama Program took elementary and middle school students to Arendelle for Frozen Jr. The show ran from Dec. 11-14 and was directed by Amanda Carter, musical direction by Sarah Hamilton, and choreography by Meredith Fraley. In Rowan County, we have a very supportive school board when it comes to our drama productions. Students also get to perform for their peers with day performances. Tilden Hogge, Rodburn, and McBrayer attended the show. Unfortunately, the middle school day performances got cancelled due to snow. Elsa must have set off an eternal winter….
Throughout the process, students have been great. Ironically, there are 67 students in the production ranging from 1st grade all the way through 8th grade. My 8th graders have been with me since the beginning when I directed Newsies 3 years ago. They are so talented, and I’ve seen them take on these leadership roles within the show, at their school, and in their community. The younger kids really look up to them and learn from them. There are so many people to thank including KEDC! We were able to incorporate folk dances that I learned from the KEDC Elevation Summit conference this past summer. From the beginning, many students were involved with this production. Mrs. Butler’s Public Relations class made our audition posters using their Canva skills. Kayla Stafford’s high school drama classes and student volunteers made our set, lights, props, and ran tech for every performance. It takes a lot of people to get the princesses ready not to mention most kids have 2 costume changes or more during the show.
While the storm raged on, people still came out to watch these talented kids! The arts are so important and give students the opportunity to really make a story come alive from start to finish. I feel truly blessed to have been a part of such an amazing show. And now, I must “Let It Go…” until next year!
Amanda Carter
Rowan County Middle School
Rowan County
6th Grade
