The 

25th Annual Putnam County 

Spelling Bee

Karen Harris

Principal

Hearty congratulations to the company of this year's senior production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  The show was very well received by enthusiastic audiences and all agreed that it was a show that delivered in quite a number of different ways for all who performed in it or were entertained by it.

It was such a pleasure to see students back on stage to deliver this show to us.  Not only did they invite us into the wonderful world of the Spelling Bee – they even invited some of us onto the stage! In a show full of laughs, loveable characters reached out from the stage to remind us of what is most important in life – that we can choose happiness over so-called ‘success’, and that we all should have the freedom to be the person that we want to be and to live the life we want to live.

The commitment and diligence invested by all members of the production company was (once again) exemplary. These students strived to deliver their very best effort at every opportunity - whether performing onstage, managing front of house duties, working behind the scenes as stagehands, running lights or delivering sound design. Teamwork is the champion of any production – so many hands are needed to produce a successful show – and the end result of this collaboration was a truly impressive production.

Click on the gallery above  to enlarge more photos.

Given the challenges of the past months, the college elected to produce the show on site this year and it is wonderful to see the school’s facilities being used to their capacity. For those pursuing studies in the Performing Arts such as drama and dance, using the school facilities provided an immediate and direct link to their learning.  Just as importantly, it allowed others the opportunity to access and experience the more technical aspects of staging a show, including sound and lighting design.  Senior students once again took on informal leadership roles throughout the rehearsal phase, mentoring their less-experienced peers and supporting the staff production team - demonstrating that the production process provides an outlet for students to express and develop a variety of skills beyond their obvious creativity and unique talents. 

Many of the students who performed in this production of  The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee will graduate this year.  They can be rightly proud of the strong, positive and inclusive culture that they have helped to build over their years of participation in the Performing Arts program at the college, and we thank them for their enormous contribution. These students will continue to be excellent ambassadors for our college and will always be welcomed back as part of our colleges’ wider production ‘family’.