St. Raphael School presents spring program

St. Raphael Catholic School students performed their spring program last Wednesday, May 11. It was the first spring program they had performed since spring 2019, due to the COVID pandemic.
The Little Panthers Preschool program (3-year-old students) sang a few of their favorite classroom songs such as Five Little Monkeys, Here is the Beehive, Slippery Fish and Tap Your Sticks. Their performance was interrupted after only two songs when a tornado warning came to the Springfield area. The students and their families moved to the basement of the school for shelter during this time. After the worst of the storm had moved out of the area, families were directed back to the gymnasium to complete the program.
Students in Kindergarten Readiness (4-year-olds), kindergarten, first grade and second grade performed a musical called Pajama Party. They sang about all the things they do to get ready for going to sleep and monsters under their bed! The children wore pajamas, slippers and had a “cozy special friend.”
The third grade through sixth grade students performed a musical called Pirates! The Musical. In this pirate themed revue, we met a band of pirates who were on their way to a pirate singing contest with their leader, the King of the High “C’s” played by Matthew Hillesheim. As the pirates prepare for the contest, they discover a Stowaway on their ship, played by Christina Reindl, who so desperately wishes to become a pirate. The pirates do not accept her and decide to throw her in the brig with the rest of their prisoners. All is well until their lead singer, the King of the High “C’s” develops laryngitis and is unable to perform in the contest. The Stowaway was heard singing beautifully in the brig and is recruited to sing in the King’s place. Due to her singing abilities, she was accepted as a pirate and helped save the day in the big pirate singing contest.
The program was enjoyed by all in attendance. “Even with the delay of the tornado warning, the students pulled off a successful show,” Principal and director Beth Steffl said.