Based on the national curriculum Music! Words! Opera!, teaching artist Valerie Smith led students through the creative process of writing a libretto and setting the words to music. In early September, Smith began meeting weekly with NSC Fine Arts Director Suzanne Palmer’s third-grade students at Jefferson School.

“This opportunity to create a libretto is a welcomed creative writing experience for our young scholars,” said Palmer. “When I was approached by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to do this project with them, I thought this experience of singing, acting, and performing combined with an emphasis on scholastic growth is exactly what I want for students of all ages in Normandy.”

Once the words were written, Smith set them to music using input from students. The music was then shared with local composer/orchestrator Terrence Abernathy who scored the music for strings and selected wind instruments. This unique project allowed students the opportunity to create an original opera and perform the work in a professional theater along with world-class musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Among the instrumentalists are seven musicians from the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, who were joined by student performers from Normandy High School. Select student singers from Barack Obama, Bel-Nor, Lucas Crossing, and Washington Schools also participated in singing chorus roles in the opera. Normandy visual arts teachers coordinated sets, props, and costumes.

Congratulations to everyone involved and for putting on such a fantastic show!

The terms of three current Normandy Schools Collaborative (NSC) Joint Executive Governing Board (JEGB) members are set to expire on June 30, 2023, and an election will be held to fill their positions. The public will vote for candidates on the April 4, 2023, ballot, and the newly elected members will join the Board at the April 2023 board meeting.

Individuals who wish to run as candidates have a three-week window to apply. Per state statute § 162.083, RSMo, the filing period for the April election begins Tuesday, December 6, and closes Tuesday, December 27. Candidates must be residents of the Normandy Schools Collaborative geographic footprint. According to the Missouri School Board Association, school board candidates must meet the following requirements:

• A United States citizen.

• A resident taxpayer of a district or voter of the district in urban districts.

• A resident of Missouri for at least one year.

• At least 24 years old.

For residents who want to run for one of the two seats on the JEGB, please contact the JEGB Secretary Alexandria Barnett at 314-493-0400 or by email at albarnett@normandysc.org.