The junior high one-act play group concluded its season at the district contest Nov. 19.
Eighth grader Blake Foster won outstanding technician, eighth grader Jayden Peters made the honorable mention all-star cast and eighth grader Teegan Bumgarner made the all-star cast.
“We should have paid more attention when the directors were trying to give us instructions or help us improve, but I am still happy with how we performed overall,” Peters said. “I think we did a good job this year listening to each other’s advice and trying to understand what everyone was saying.”

Foster said he was happy to win outstanding technician as stage manager because of all the responsibilities that come with the role.
“I made sure that everything was set up correctly and that everyone remembered their lines,” Foster said. “I enjoyed several parts of our play, but we could have improved our timing.”
The group was the first of seven schools to perform on the day of contest.
“I wish we had gotten more time beforehand to read over our lines, but we had a good day watching all of the shows after us,” eighth grader Jose Estrada said. “We did way better than at dress rehearsal, but I think we could have done better if we hadn’t been so nervous.”
Seventh grader Zerah Ridenour said she is looking forward to performing again next year.
“We were a little upset after getting results to not be in the top three, but we eventually remembered how well we performed,” Ridenour said. “We skipped a couple parts, but it was definitely a lot better than our dress rehearsal.”
Eighth grader and sound technician Kooper Keeter said she wished they would have focused more in early practices to avoid rushing as it came closer to contest.
“The actors did a good job working together to keep the play on track after mistakes or when people forgot their lines,” Keeter said. “I’m excited for next year, and I hope that since the high school group is more competitive, the others will take it seriously and actually work to win.”
Peters said she was surprised to win an award when others had more lines and larger roles.
“It feels good because I worked hard for it, and I put a lot of time into one-act play this year,” Peters said. “I have always enjoyed acting, but I am hoping the high school level is more competitive.”
Eighth grader Maci Casillas, who ran the show’s lights, said she wants to improve in her role and see what she can do to make their future productions better.
“My favorite part of contest is always watching the other schools’ plays,” Casillas said. “Our actors could have improved with volume, but other than that, I thought they did a very good job.”
Eighth grader Kinlee Hughes said they made memories together and kept each other calm when it got stressful.
“We could do a better job of taking individual accountability, but we made a pretty good team,” Hughes said. “I’m not sure yet if I will participate in high school, but I like the idea of doing more complicated and mature plays in the future.”