A difficult diagnosis for Kentlake drama teacher Pam Cressey has turned into a rallying point for her students.
During the teacher’s strike, explained Kentlake principal Diana Pratt, Cressey was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
“She’s touched the lives of so many kids over the years,” Pratt said. “This has been pretty traumatic for both the students and the staff.”
Just two days before school started, Mario Penalver, a first year teacher was called in to serve as a long term substitute while Cressey is undergoing treatment, Pratt said.
Pratt, Penalver and other staff put their heads together to figure out how to help the students manage the news of Cressey’s diagnosis as well as her absence.
Initially plans for the fall were to put on a production of South Pacific.
Instead, the students with Penalver’s help, have developed a tribute show to Cressey dubbed “Pamalot.”
“It’s a musical revue,” Penalver said. “We selected songs from a group of shows, in this case it’s every show that has been done since Kentlake was founded.”
Penalver worked with Kentlake’s vocal director and an alumni who serves as a vocal director at a local middle school and “between the three of us and parents who have done work with Cressey over the years we were able to select songs from every one of the shows that have been done over the years.”
That includes tunes from Westside story, Little Shop of Horrors, Fiddler on the Roof, Annie Get Your Gun, Damn Yankees, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum and Music Man.
All told there were to be 22 songs performed, not just by current students, by alumni as well to make it a celebration of the school’s musical performance history over the past decade, Penalver said.
Penalver said that staff and parents had some concerns about putting the focus on Cressey but he credited Pratt’s leadership for that decision.
“In the end we decided it was the best thing for the students and it’s shown to be a really positive experience,” he said. “Without being open and being able and willing and comfortable talking about it, the students would have no access to healing.”
In the meantime, auditions were held in October and rehearsals began shortly thereafter, running after school for now with performances scheduled to being Jan. 13.
This tribute show will be a fundraiser, Penalver said, with all profits going to the Pancreatic Cancer Society.
Pratt said she is proud of the way Penalver has handled a delicate situation, describing him as “a real gem” and that’s he’s done a great job under difficult circumstances.
She is also impressed with the way the students have taken on the challenge.
“They’ve channeled this into something productive and positive by raising money,” Pratt said. “They all feel really strongly about her.”
