Parker Presents Frozen Jr.!

March 27, 2026
Project work at Parker is integral to our model of learning and woven into the fabric of our community. Successful project work facilitates our mission of engaging each student in a thoughtful and challenging learning process that inspires curiosity and achievement, nurtures confidence, and cultivates purposeful action. This week, we have the opportunity to dive deeply into a current project as we share the culminating performance of our 8th grade musical.



Our 8th grade musical is a wonderful example of a collaborative project that builds community while engaging our students in meaningful learning with a tangible outcome. It takes a lot of time and effort to stage a musical, and our entire 7th and 8th grade classes (and even some 6th graders!) are involved in at least one aspect of this student-led production. As Parker music director Sara Feltes explains, “Part of what makes this experience so important for all students is that it shows students how many different roles that can exist in theater aside from the acting. They have an opportunity to be involved first-hand in learning skills such as sound engineering, lighting, or stage management. There are so many “roles” in addition to acting that can open doors (and their minds) to different career paths. Having students involved in every aspect also allows them to take ownership in the production. It’s not MY moment or Parker’s moment – it’s THEIR moment.”



And what a moment it has been. For the past 10 weeks, our middle schoolers have constructed and painted scenery, sculpted props, wired the sound board, and curated costumes. Students working stage crew perfected scene changes, facilitated quick costume swaps, and learned their cues for sound and lights.

 

Our 8th graders, meanwhile, have been immersed in every aspect of on-stage production. They have memorized lines, choreography, music and blocking, developed their characters, and even become skilled in applying their own stage make-up. Most importantly, however, they have learned how to support each other. They’ve gone from yelling at each other for missed lines to deftly stepping in and covering up mistakes, cheering each other on each step of the way. They have come together not only as a cast, but as a graduating class, celebrating this momentous achievement of risk-taking and teamwork in their final months together as a community.

As one 8th grader reflected, ““My favorite part has been the bonding time. We spent a lot of time together and had to learn to work as a group, empower each other, build up each other’s confidence, and help each other prepare. Just being part of this with my class felt so good.” Another 8th grader added, “I think the scariest part about all of this is everyone seeing me outside of my comfort zone. It’s one thing when you’re trying something new by yourself, but to do it when everyone else is watching brings it to a whole new level.” Her friend responded, adding, “Yeah, but at least we’re ALL doing it together. That’s been my favorite part of the whole production – working together as one big team and working out everything together felt really good.”



Sara, as their teacher, offers a wider view: “Participating in a musical is one of those experiences that is important to live once. Even if you never do it again, the skills that these kids will take away from this experience are invaluable. Feeling the excitement and nervousness of being on stage, in a different way than just being yourself on stage, is important for you to feel at least once in your life. My greatest hope for these kids is that they will look back on this show and be able to say, ‘I did it. That is an experience that I may never do again – and that’s totally okay – but I know that I was able to do it. When I see a musical now, I know how that happens. And I know how much work goes into it.’”



Sara adds, “When I see these students on stage and performing with each other, I can’t help but notice  the joy of making music together. I feel an underlying gratitude that we are together and doing this. Making something beautiful is the greatest gift we can give each other. A professor once said to me ‘If the world’s outlook was more like music [collaborative] and less about competition, think about the world we could live in.’ When I see these kids put on a musical, I know that world exists…and I am so honored to share it with them.”