St. Vrain Valley School District continues to expand opportunities for students in special education by offering Unified Theater classes at Niwot High School and Frederick High School.
Amanda Foust, dramatic arts teacher at Niwot High School, couldn’t wait to bring her vision of having a Unified Theater program to life. Foust student-taught at a different district in Colorado that had a Unified Theater program at every school and she knew she wanted to bring that same opportunity to students in St. Vrain.
When Foust was in High School she didn’t even know about special education students because everything was separated, but she sees the amount of excitement and inclusivity of it all and can’t wait to incorporate it at Niwot High School. Foust said, “I want my class to be a positive place where students can express themselves and be who they want to be. I feel it’s important and amazing to collaborate with students from all walks of life and I want everyone to feel like they belong.”
While her class doesn’t start until the spring semester, there are currently 21 students enrolled. She has a big production of “Descendants the Musical” planned for May 3. Students will work the entire semester towards the production by learning lines, choreography and music. They’ll also work on stage lighting, costume design and set production.
Foust is hoping students will gain the necessary skills from the class to feel confident enough to audition for the school’s mainstage theater productions.
Foust’s excitement about the class inspired fellow Dramatics Arts Teacher, Kendle Butterworth, to create a similar class at Frederick High School. While Butterworth is structuring the class slightly differently, the same opportunities for inclusion exist.
The Unified Theater Class at FHS currently has 15 students enrolled and students will learn to express themselves and be creative. Butterworth wants to set a great foundation for students to learn the basics of performing arts. “Theater involves movement and vocal expression. I’m starting off my unit of performance by having students lip sync to a song or dance to get used to performing,” Butterworth said.
Butterworth is utilizing the Hunter Heartbeat Method, which utilizes rhythm, eye contact, facial expression, awareness and observation of others. This technique was created by Kelly Hunter in England 10 years ago and is especially beneficial for students who are on the autism spectrum. This method uses a series of sensory drama games produced from Shakespeare’s text to improve spatial awareness, develop facial expressions, and increase motor skills in children on the spectrum.
Butterworth said she is most excited about discovering the different strengths of each student. Currently, students are working on a play they wrote called “Full Moon Over Route 66.” It’s about a diverse group of characters who all meet in a roadside diner and discover they are stuck in a time loop. There will be a public performance at Frederick High School Auditorium on Tuesday, November 7 starting at 6:30pm. Admission is free and donations are welcome.