Music Director Beth Kolwyck secured the grant by outlining her vision to give students their first glimpse of a live musical along with the opportunity to see behind-the-scenes and meet with the director and cast.  The musical is The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  It is a comedic, fast-moving story that incorporates familiar subject matter for grade-school children: a spelling bee.  Characters address the pressures of peer competition and sometimes overzealous parents while spelling their way to the top.  The Tony Award-winning performance was heralded by the Wall Street Journal for its unique ability to engage the audience as on-stage spellers.

The winning proposal, submitted by volunteer grant writer Jessica Young, is one of several being sought this year by Edmondson Elementary as part of a program by Principal Marvin Wells to further enrich classroom curriculum in areas such as music, art, literacy and technology.  In November, the school hosted an in-house field trip with NASA Academy scientists who discussed the status of Pluto and future space travel with third, fourth, and fifth graders.