Yearbook Reflections--Performance #1

Here is The Princess in a musical called "Yearbook Reflections" put on the Select Choir at Kellogg High School.
The show's premise is looking through a high school yearbook, and showing all the great thing students in high school do throughout the year, and what great kids they are.
In the program, choir director Joy Persoon shared a letter from the playwrite about why he wrote this play. Here is the letter:

Dear Friend,

On April 20, 1999 my community was rocked by the shootings at Columbine High School. Only a few short miles from where I work and live, I was in my children's elementary school doing my weekly volunteer stint when the shooting broke out. The real-life drama of Columbine High School had begun and would soon grip me and the entire nation.

Because I work a great deal with students and I live close to Columbine, I felt a strange bond to the school. I wanted to do something to help, yet I wasn't sure what to do. I did know that I was unhappy with the media coverage questioning the morality of youths today. Because of these two outcasts, editorials were creating a bleak outlook for the future. Are too many kids slipping through the cracks? Has the disintegration of the family unit gone too far? Is there too much violence on television and in video games? Like you, I don't have the answers to any of these questions. I do know, however, that I am surrounded by many wonderful teens: they are dedicated workers in our office, they are loyal neighbors, and they are trustworthy babysitters for my children. In my mind, these are the youth of today. And they are why I have written "Yearbook".

A school's yearbook shows the brighter side, the positive side. It shows the side we want to remember. A yearbook shows the entire school community as a cohesive unit, from the principal to the students to the cafeteria staff.

In writing this play, I had a huge struggle. I realize that life is not always perfect for kids...it never has been and it never will be. Some are picken on. Some drop out. Some fail. So is it fair for this play to show only the positive side of school life? Yes, I resolved, because for the huge majority of children, life is a positive adventure. Sure, it's a roller coaster with ups and downs, but it's a ride filled with excitement, learning and maturing.

Wishing you success in all your endeavors.

Steven Fendrich

Playwright

Here is some more pics from the production.