December 18, 2003

Two schools devastated by fire share an “ugly duckling” moment

By Kymberli W. Brady
Staff Writer

Pioneer High School’s advanced drama class took their show on the road again last Friday for two very special performances of “Honk Jr.” The performances were an effort to prove to the children at Gardner Academy that although their school had also been devastated by fire, it wasn’t about to keep the show from going on.

According to Pioneer Principal Barbara Lepiani, both schools had so many things in common, she offered to bring them together for a special performance by the Pioneer Drama Department in an effort to welcome Gardner Academy students back after a $4 million fire destroyed much of the school.

“Steve (Dini) thought it was a wonderful idea,” Lepiani said. “So we took the kids back on the road one more time and they were so excited about doing it. It’s a really nice connection for our kids with the younger ones who went through even a worse ordeal,” she added. “In light of something horrible, a lot of good things have happened.”

“The kids were really excited about coming here today,” said drama teacher Steve Dini. “We couldn’t keep them away. This is our way of saying welcome back and letting them know that we’re still here as a community. There’s an air of celebration here and it’s fabulous.”

“Pioneer High School also had a fire that happened right after ours,” explained Gardner Academy Principal Millie Ariano to her students prior to the performance. “Like you, all of them were very sad, but at the same time, we’re all very happy because we’re all safe and doing well. Because of that, they wanted to come out and celebrate with you the fact that we’re all here together and our schools are going to get rebuilt.”

The performance was particularly emotional for one cast member, a former Gardner Academy student. “I haven’t been back here since I graduated,” admitted Brianna Goldman. “It’s really traumatic to come back and see it all in shambles, but I’m glad we could do something for them. Nothing can hold us back.”

Afterwards, Ariano commented on how the visit lifted everyone’s spirits during their first week back as a unified school. “The little guys are having a blast,” she said. “You can see it in their faces.”

“Honk Jr.,” a revamped version of the popular children’s favorite, “The Ugly Duckling.” It is based on the Broadway musical about a young bird who didn’t fit in with the others in his community. “The lesson here is that it doesn’t matter what you look like,” Dini told the kids. “It matters who you are.”