STEM, theater meet

COLDWATER - Some Coldwater Middle School students are using their own brand of magic to bring the otherworldly events of "Matilda Jr., the Musical" to life.

Matilda is a young girl, who is eager to learn and make friends at school while dealing with a dysfunctional family and a child-hating principal. Yet Matilda is gifted - and not just academically. Her budding telekinetic powers help her teach a few lessons to the bullies in her life.

Of course, such powers are tricky to portray on stage. Drama teacher Denise Peterson could have rented special props or picked up manuals on how to make the props, but those would have cost hundreds of dollars. Instead, Peterson approached middle school teacher Maggie Rismiller and asked if her students could help.

Rismiller teaches a number of hands-on classes, including robotics and wood shop classes. Her students pitched in to help with the props. Her maker's skills class, which focuses on teaching students to make rather than buy devices to solve their problems, has been the main force behind the prop creation.

The kids began working on three different props in January, and according to Rismiller, she hardly had to do a thing. After telling them about the necessary props and showing them video clips to give them an idea of how the final products needed to work, her students organized themselves into groups to plan out and work on their projects, collaborating between groups when necessary.

Her robotics, wood shop and maker's skill students helped put together elements for a glass that Matilda tips over with her powers. Her maker's skill students 3-D printed a large glass, her robotics students wired an apparatus that moves the glass in sync with background music and her wood shop students built a frame.

Another prop is a disappearing chocolate cake, though its disappearance is not related to Matilda's superpowers. When the evil principal Mrs. Trunchbull discovers a boy has been filching chocolate cake, she makes him sit in front of the other students and eat an entire cake as punishment. Even if some children might like to give eating an entire cake a try, the prop created by Rismiller's class is undoubtedly better for all involved.

Finally, students created a chalkboard used by Matilda to send a ghostly warning to her principal. Using magnets and a projector, the chalk on the board will move without being touched by Matilda or her classmates, appearing to write a message from beyond the grave.

Rismiller said that while some students were not usually excited about the performing arts, they had gone above and beyond for this project. Some were so motivated they spent their study halls for the last month tweaking the props to ensure they worked as well as possible.

Normally her class works on more personal projects, with students finding something they want to make for themselves or as gifts for others. This was the first time someone had approached them and asked for something to be made, and the kids responded well.

"They were so into it!" Rismiller said.

She felt the students appreciated being able to learn on their own, enjoying the freedom to figure out solutions for themselves. The fact these creations are entirely their own might mean stduents felt a little more responsible for what they created, adding to their motivation.

The kids also have taken a little more pride in their work. Classmates have complimented them on their projects, and while some in Rismiller's classes may not be drama fans, they're eager to see the play and their props in action. Peterson said the students had done well, with the props being better than she'd expected.

She hoped these kinds of collaborations would happen again, saying it'd been "super fun," for both her and the students.

The play will be performed March 4-7 and March 11-14 in the Coldwater auditeria, but tickets for March 4, 7 and 14 are all sold. Tickets are $7 each and will not be sold at the door, so those interested should call the school to inquire.
See a photo album of the musical.