Students and staff members displayed their projects to family and friends on Monday, April 6, during Olathe West’s annual Exhibition Night. This event happens every year in April to connect the school with the community.
Some examples were: displays of fire incidents that changed regulations, showcasing Technology Student Association (TSA) competition gadgets, and snacks made by the culinary students.
The orchestra and choir kids provided live music performances throughout the event. A junior Autumn Hunley, expressed her thoughts on playing at Exhibition Night.
“I really enjoy it, an opportunity for one for the orchestra department, to be able to hear from families who probably don’t hear it as much and staff with their families,” Hunley said.
The night was filled with presentations but one group was doing something else– a dress rehearsal. The theatre department was doing their final dress rehearsal and families got a sneak peak of their upcoming musical, “Beetlejuice Jr.”
“Beetlejuice” is a musical that centers around the main character Lydia who lost her mom and now her dad is marrying another woman. She tries to enlist the help of her news friends Adam and Barbara, the couple that died in the house before Lydia‘s family moved in, to help her get her mom back from the dead.
Natalie Chesney, a junior that spotlights for the musical, talked about her experience doing spots for “Beetlejuice Jr.”
“It was only rough the first couple of days since I know how to spotlight, it’s just I’ve never spotlighted in the area that it’s in. [flex theatre] But, yeah, it was pretty good,” Chesney said.
The Exhibition Night was a special night that allowed students to showcase what they learned through performances and projects. Megan Steffes, a science teacher and the assistant facilitator of the Public Safety Academy, I shared why these Exhibition Nights are so special.
“I really like how students are proud of their work, and they’re excited to show what they had done in other classes…And it’s really powerful to see students proud of their education,” Steffes said.
