The Grouch, played by eighth grader Land Neudecker, with his faithful animals in his mountaintop cave.
The Grouch That Stole Christmas was performed by Ovando School students in the Ovando gym Dec. 19. All 23 students, prekindergarten through eighth grade, participated in the music recital and the play.
The evening program began with the students' winter music recital showcasing the xylophone and ukulele music the students have been learning from Michael Nord of Tangled Tones studio. Ten songs were played with a mix of holiday and modern tunes from Blue Suede Shoes and Peace Like a River to Amazing Grace. Many of the songs were accompanied by hand motions.
The Grouch was played by Land Neudecker, who was able to bring the extremes of the character to the stage with ease. The rest of the cast was supporting characters to the grouch: Grewdolyn Hessler and Brekken Tougas as his dog and cat and a slew of the "Boos" who dwelled in the Booville village below the Grouch's mountain cave.
One of the Boos, Mary Boo played by Matilda Hessler, was curious why the Grouch was so grouchy. Through the story, they went back in time to discover that the Grouch had an embarrassing encounter as a youngster and Christmas joy reminded him of his pain.
Although the play was written for third through eighth graders, Ovando teachers skillfully wove roles for kindergarten through second graders into the script. Plenty of songs and dance kept the young players involved throughout the performance.
Students and teachers began reading the script and thinking about roles right before Thanksgiving. December was filled with special studies in theatre, stage design, costuming and performance skills, along with core subjects. Paraprofessional Angela Williams was the in-house costume creator and Patti Bartlett, fourth through eighth grade teacher, lent skills in stage design, along with parents Tony Lapka and Nick Hessler.
The gym was packed with over 75 people in the audience.
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