Brian Hagberg
RUSSELL, Pa. – The 2024 All-County Musical “Little Shop of Horrors” opens for the public on Thursday, but the Warren County School District Board of Directors got a short preview of the show on Monday.
Six cast members performed a short musical number from the show at the beginning of Monday’s regular board meeting. Sydney Johnson, Cayla Chapman, Anna Courson, Alyssa Wismar, Jadenne Fofana, and Macy Winicki performed for the school board and district administrators in attendance.
The show runs Thursday, March 14 – Saturday, March 16, at the Warren Area High School auditorium with performances at 7 p.m. each night, along with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday. Some content is not recommended for younger audiences. Tickets may be purchased anytime online or at the box office (cash or check only) from 5 – 7 p.m. this week.
School board members won’t be the only ones getting a sneak peek of the show. An abridged version will be performed for WCSD 4th – 8th grade students on Wednesday. Warren Area Elementary Center and Beaty students will see the show at 9 a.m., while Eisenhower, Sheffield, and Youngsville students will have a 1 p.m. show.
“They have some special surprises for the teachers and the students with Audrey 2,” WCSD Technology Coordinator Jen Dilks said.
JOHNSON TRANSPORTATION RECOGNIZED
The district gave special recognition and a plaque to Johnson Transportation in honor of 100 years of service.
WCSD Transportation Manager Mike Kiehl presented the plaque and shared some examples of the company’s dedication to service.
“I just want to you know the dedication is amazing,” Kiehl said. “But I want to talk about their service because they go above and beyond.”
Kiehl pointed to a program held before the start of the school year for incoming kindergarten students and parents.
“One of the biggest concerns of kindergarten parents or kindergarten moms is putting my little child on a bus,” Kiehl said. “It’s a big bus. There’s going to be older kids on there. They’re just really concerned and Connie (Johnson, co-owner) recognized that. She’s like, let’s have a day that moms can bring their kids down to the bus they can get on the bus with the kids. I will review the rules with them so that they understand everything that’s going to be expected from day one. Matter of fact, I’ll go to and take and buy them ice cream and get them School Bus Safety coloring books and crayons and we’ll just make a fun day out of it. And she did all that for us. I mean that’s just awesome.”
Kiehl also pointed out that the company will often have one of the buses not in use parked in their lot along Route 6 and decorated to celebrate certain occasions.
“It’s not uncommon to see a bus decorated out there saying, ‘Thank your drivers’ because it’s driver appreciation month,” Kiehl said. “I just can’t say enough good about them. We’re very fortunate to have them.”
