On March 12, during school hours, theater teacher Caleb Francis’ Theatre Special Topics class performed an original play with Comprehensive Intervention Program (CIP) students titled “Kingdom of the Caribbean,” a piece that the class had written themselves with the CIP students’ abilities in mind.
“I think it, for the students, has been a great learning experience,” Francis said. “For me as well, it’s also been a great learning experience.”
“Kingdom of the Caribbean” follows the story of a kingdom whose pirates simply want acceptance, yet repeatedly find themselves banned by the king and the queen. As the narrative progresses, the queen learns to appreciate and embrace the pirates. This theme of acceptance is exactly what Francis and Exceptional Needs teacher Heidi Roll hoped students and the broader audience would take away from this experience.
The idea to collaborate with the CIP students, with CIP, according to Roll, being a program for students who need instruction at their level due to their cognitive abilities differing from the typical high schooler’s, came from choir teacher Jaclyn Richardson, inspired by a similar experience she organized when teaching in West Lafayette. Richardson says she recalled how impactful the opportunity was for students and the community.
Richardson says that when she directed an intermediate choir in West Lafayette, she had about eight to 10 students with special needs ranging from non-verbal to those with autism spectrum disorder.
“I gave one of the kids a solo for a concert, and the classroom kids were so supportive … ,” Richardson said. “The audience just loved it.”
Roll says when Francis approached her about creating a similar performance with the CIP students, she was all for it and was overall very excited as she wanted to teach inclusivity and acceptance for everyone no matter their looks, how they sound or anything of the sort.
While some CIP students initially felt nervous, others were ecstatic about the opportunity.
Similarly, the Theatre Special Topics class expressed initial nervousness, as this type of collaboration was new to them. However, after meeting the CIP students in their classroom, they quickly found joy in working together.
“I thought it was really cool, and I had a really fun time with the CIP kids,” senior Tristen Blakely said. “I like teaching them how to act and … helping them and doing that stuff with them because it really excited them, and they really liked to do it.”
