Three parents of Prescott School District students and one citizen spoke in support of the upcoming musical “Sweeney Todd” at the most recent school board meeting.

First to speak was Sarah Markert who took the opportunity to thank the district for supporting the theater and to thank Thomas Speltz and Brittany Kamrath for their dedication to building the program.

“More specifically, I'm excited that the musical ‘Sweeney Todd’ is being shared with our students and community,” said Markert. “We know theater offers extensive genres, as we have seen demonstrated by the various productions put on by our theater department. ‘Sweeney Todd’ is a dark comedic drama intended to provoke emotion and lead us into self-reflection, a very intentional drama intended to grasp the audience, attention, entertain and tell a story, all while offering lessons,” Markert said. “As in many forms of entertainment, we don't have to approve the lead character's actions in the performance to appreciate the many lessons that character offers.

“We all know there are many internal conflicts that plague teenagers. The ability of a teenager to analyze their thoughts takes many forms, and for some teenagers and adults, theater is an excellent option for this. It allows us to contemplate self-doubt and internal conflict, placing characters on stage, leading us to safely analyze these thoughts and feelings, and teaches us lessons about our actions good and bad. A musical such as ‘Sweeney Todd's’ love story, while it also teaches us the harm brought on by obsession with revenge and resentment, it teaches us about economic oppression, society's faults and the downfalls of stereotyping. A musical of this nature may not be suited for every audience, nor may all schools have the honor of having amazing directors to walk them through it and help the actors process and interpret it. Trust in the directors is paramount.”

Markert went on to explain how when her husband died, Kamrath was with a group of theater students and had to explain the tragedy and be a support for the children in her care at the time. 

“She was the one who held their hands, hugged them and helped remind them of the tools they had to support their friend during this very dark, senseless, sudden time of death. Thank God she was the one with them that day and helped them process this very tough time and the many emotions that go with it. Then in the weeks to come, Ms. K. and Thomas picked up the pieces and went on to produce an excellent spring musical,” Markert said.

Prescott resident of five years Jonathon Nelson thanked Markert for her eloquent presentation and added his support.

“Being able to conceptualize and process feelings like that is an important part of our emotional and mental development,” Nelson began. “High schoolers should be mature enough for this. Will the subject matter be too much for some people's sensibilities? Sure, should we suppress our students' abilities to participate in one of the oldest forms of expression and exploration of complex human emotions because of that? No, I can tell you from experience being a theater kid growing up, I had a lot of friends with mental health issues and being part of the drama team in central Wisconsin was a huge part of being able to grow beyond that, to conceptualize and explore those emotions in a safe way. So, it's sad that we even have to have the conversation, but I'm glad that you're all willing to listen.”

Kirstin Langer is the parent of a senior boy this year who has been part of the theater program since he was a freshman. She said she too trusts the directors.

“I trust them with our kids. I know that they would not put them in any kind of harm,” said Langer. “I know that from our experience with these last three years, Thomas is there, not just teaching them lines and having them memorize and recite, they take it to a deeper level. They are exploring the emotions and the meanings behind everything and the context that their characters are in. And for students like mine who plan to pursue their higher education in the arts and theater, in particular, I'm excited to see what these kids can do at this show, because I know this is the next step in preparing them to what comes after. And I'm every year, blown away by the talent of the kids, by the dedication of our staff, by Thomas and Ms. K. in particular, to make sure that this program is successful. And I thank you for supporting that, and I thank you for this opportunity.”

Last to speak on this was a parent of two Prescott graduates. She pointed out this is happening across the country. People choose not to trust teachers, not to trust the educational commitment of the people that take care of our kids every day. She sees a danger in that thinking and encouraged the board and the community at large to trust the teachers to guide students in appropriate and acceptable ways.

Good news

Malone Elementary Principal Sara Dusek presented a good news report for the elementary school and intermediate school. She said it has been a great start, beginning with orientation day on the Sept. 26 and then Return to Learn Aug. 27-29.

A Malone parent committee will be hosting a Back to School Bash on Sept. 27 from 3:30-7:30 p.m. at Malone Elementary. There will be a ribbon cutting with Market and Johnson for the new main office at Malone Elementary, starting at 3:45 p.m.; people from the community are invited to come to the ribbon cutting, and then tour the elementary building.

“I just sent our summer school reporting document to Kara Clatt today to send to the state for our reporting,” said Dusek. “And I'm happy to announce that at this time, the number that we're submitting is 95 FTE for summer school, which is up 20 FTE from last year, which is enrollment for summer school, which is amazing. So, a lot of that has to do with the ‘Finding Nemo’ play that was over three weeks in summer school. That added a lot and that production was amazing. We had a big increase in the Return to Learn days by adding that third day, plus, I think, enrollment was up just across all three of those days.”

Activities Director Matt Smith said great things are happening in arts and activities. He heard many positive comments on the middle school and high school bands performing at the Prescott Daze Parade. Excitement is stirred up for the start of the fall one-act play. Homecoming week kicks off the week of Sept. 30 and he is looking for a lot of community support.

Superintendent Dr. Rick Spicuzza shared his gratitude for a wonderful entrance into the school year beginning in August.

“At the end of August, we opened the largest restaurant in the five municipalities,” Spicuzza announced. “We started running the largest transportation service in the five municipalities, we started the employment of one of the largest organizations within the five municipalities. Later tonight, I'll talk a little bit more about the budget, but we need to protect our future. You heard wonderful opportunities that exist in the academics, the arts and athletics’ we want to be able to sustain that. We did want to put up a quick shout out for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation that highlighted the work that's going on here at the Prescott High School, with regards to our career and tech ed group. A lot of the work that's going on from an entrepreneurial status under the leadership of our two CTE teachers, partnering out in the community, we also now, based on the board approval, are building a kiln where we're cutting down our own wood and starting to harvest that. We've been able to save over $1,200 in student fees heading into the school year, and that will continue to pay dividends as we move forward.

“I also would just like to give, if I could ordain a special day, a special thanks to Mike Hoikka, our facility and grounds supervisor as we finish the completion of two years of construction that has made our three older facilities delightful to work in, and we're ready to make sure that that learning environment continues to help the performance of our staff and students. So a great start to the school year, and wanted to welcome everybody back.”