Aristocats! At Eagle Creek

Eagle Creek Elementary School (ECE) will have a free performance of the Artistocats on June 2 at 6 p.m. The 45-minute play is based on the 1970s

Disney movie about the richest cats in Paris and their inheritance being stolen by Edgar, the family butler.
The play is directed by music teacher Darlene Grande and performed by the ECE Panther Chorus, which is made up of fourth- and fifth-grade students. Most of the students came from nearby schools Northlake Park and Moss Park Elementary schools. Ms. Grande said she is thankful for the great teaching of Stafford Ezzard and Greta Mitchell, the music teachers from the respective schools. Ms. Grande says her students are well trained, and she can tell they had a great music education prior to her instruction.

This is Eagle Creek Elementary School’s first-year opening, and it’s Ms. Grande’s first licensed play. However, Ms. Grande is a veteran when it comes to performing and music education. As a classically trained soprano as well as having a Master’s Degree in Music Education from Long Island University, her accolades are lengthy. In 2014, she was a STELLAR OCPS teacher and was featured in the inaugural STELLAR OCPS commercial.

She’s sung the national anthem for Orlando City and sung in Times Square for the TKTS 40th anniversary. Additionally, she’s been the Teacher of the Year twice at her two previous schools. She comes to Eagle Creek with more than 12 years of teaching experience and has been able to have the first-year chorus group perform for the Magic, UCF, and at Disney, among other places. Ms. Grande says she wants to make sure her students are ready for the music program at Lake Nona Middle School, which is recognized as a Florida Arts Model School.

Although Ms. Grande has brought the vision of a play to Eagle Creek ES, theatre is always collaborative. With approval and agreement from Principal Rob McCloe, teachers within the school are assisting with sets, choreography and stage management. Art teacher Jackie Shauer is creating and designing the set. Fifth-grade teacher Jennifer Bittel and Kindergarten teacher Krista Kabana are working on the choreography, while fourth-grade teacher Dawn Wolf assists students with their script needs. Additionally, community member and music executive Johnny Marines fully funded the Donor’s Choose project so the students could have wireless microphones for the show.

Lake Nona is truly turning out to be an area where arts education is regarded as important and fundamental to the learning child. When I asked Ms. Grande why she feels music and the arts are important in schools, she said, “Every day I am in my classroom at Eagle Creek, I am rewarded with joy and creativity. Every day, my students are telling their story through music. Music education not only helps students academically but also gives them the key to create ownership for their learning and build their confidence and imagination.”

For more information regarding the Eagle Creek Panther Chorus, please visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Ecepantherchorus/