During the school week of 4/14, leading up to spring recess, the students in the LEAD program at Northport High School debuted their spring shows for the 2024 school year. In case you have or haven’t gotten a chance to view any of the performances during the school week or at their friends and family night, this article will dive deeper into what the plays were about and what students in the program strive to accomplish with their work.
Unfortunately, the acronym that LEAD stands for has been lost over the years, but we do know that LEAD is a social studies fulfilling class available only to seniors, whose mission, according to its students, is to help students face their fears of performance and spread positive messages such as anti-bullying and inclusivity through their plays. LEAD is “definitely not a typical class” as described by a student in the program, the course is not taught in a classroom but instead, a theater, which helps the students prepare for their plays.
Over the course of the school year, the students write and perform their own plays for three occasions, the first in October is directed at and performed for elementary students and discusses Halloween safety in a fun, entertaining, and relatable way. The second is for the 7th graders and teaches students about the Bill of Rights in an educational yet enjoyable way. And the favorite performance of most LEAD students, the week of high school plays that recently took place tackles a variety of current issues in the world that high schoolers might face such as gender stereotypes, toxic relationships, and handling your emotions.
Each period from Tuesday 4/16 to Thursday 4/18 a different play was running for students and faculty members alike, and during the evening of Monday 4/15, the LEAD students held a performance showcasing all of their plays for their family and friends. Students had a chance to view these plays if their teachers registered their class to take a trip down to the little theater during their class period and reserve a row of seats to see whichever play was running.
While student’s responses to the play may be swayed simply by them getting to have missed a math class the week before spring break, many students genuinely claimed to have both enjoyed the plays and have taken away a valuable lesson or deepened their understanding of the topic discussed within the play that they watched. One student recalls that they “enjoyed seeing their friends acting up on stage” and another found that the slang and common speech used to write the plays made the message more relatable and understandable for them.
Overall, the students at Northport were thrilled with the opportunity to see their peers and even their friends performing on stage over the course of the week. And for those who were inspired by the LEAD students and began to consider joining the program their senior year, our interviewed LEAD students unanimously agree that LEAD is for everyone and even if you are more shy, that the program aims to include all types of students and there is certainly a place for you at LEAD.
