STUARTS DRAFT — Natalie Ingram got to states with the Stuarts Draft High School one-act team in her freshman year. Now, three years later, she’s finally returning again, this time as a senior.
“I am super excited to go back to states,” Ingram said. “It was something that I always wanted. And I preached to them, because I’m also the team captain, that this is really important for the seniors. We want to go back. We want to have the experience as a senior.”
Stuarts Draft won the regional championship with its play, “The Price,” based on a Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale. Ingram plays a mother who gives up everything to get her baby back from death.
“She invites death in, she doesn’t know who he is yet,” Ingram said. “He ends up taking her baby.”
Along the way to retrieve her baby, the mom must pay various prices. She has to sing for night, she has to hug a thornbush, she has to give her eyes to the lake. Once she does what is asked of her at every stop, she’s given directions on where to go next. She eventually gives up everything for her baby.
“I like it because it’s real,” Ingram said. “It’s based on a fairy tale, but it’s real. My dad, who isn’t into theater a lot, really enjoyed it. He said that is the price you pay as a parent because you give up so much for your children.”
The state competition is set for Saturday at Western Albemarle High School in Crozet. According to the schedule on the VSHL website, Stuarts Draft performs at 5:55 p.m. They are competing against Windsor, Nelson County and Central-Wise in the Class 2 competition.
Another Augusta County school, Buffalo Gap, is competing in the Class 1 state competition. The Bison are performing “10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse” at 11:15 a.m. Saturday at Western Albemarle. Gap competes against West Point, Eastside and Narrows.
The first time the Stuarts Draft cast ran its play all the way through, Kara Gillespie remembers crying.
“It’s so pretty,” Gillespie said. “It’s a gorgeous show. We all just love the story. It really touches people.”
Tristan Johnson wasn’t a fan of the play when he first read through it, but over time it grew on him.
“My biggest takeaway is that, even if you don’t like the show, just make the best out of it,” Johnson said. “Because a seed can turn into a giant tree.”
Alandra Nice, Natalie Ingram and Jackson Screen won best actor awards for the Stuarts Draft High School one-act play at regionals.
Gillespie remembers the first competition of the year at the Virginia Theatre Association in Richmond. She called it the VTA magic.
“The VTA magic always slaps us, but it really hit us this time,” she said. “I feel everybody tapped into something that we hadn’t figured out before. It was gorgeous.”
Alandra Nice noticed it also. On the stage in Richmond that day she saw something special.
“I was noticing, especially in Natalie, this switch,” Nice said. “Something happened. There was a level of acting and emotion that I had never seen from any of us before. It was incredible. That really made everybody realize that we could take this someplace.”
Nice, Ingram and Willow Ford are the only seniors in the cast that were also in the one-act cast as freshman, the last time Stuarts Draft got to states. For those three this is especially sweet.
“It was just such a lovely feeling,” Ford said of the moment it was announced Stuarts Draft won regionals. “And it’s not just the cheering. You can just feel the love from everybody. You soak up all the love and you feel it. I just started sobbing instantly. It was such a wonderful feeling.”
Director names for new regional recovery high school
WAYNESBORO — The Waynesboro School Board appointed Amy Christian as the Director of the new regional recovery high school, a joint initiative of Waynesboro and Augusta County Public Schools.
The school, which is set to open in Fall 2025, is funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Education. Recovery high schools provide a structured and supportive academic environment for students seeking recovery from substance use and co-occurring disorders, a critical resource for addressing the challenges faced by young people and their families.
Christian will transition to this role once a suitable replacement is found for her current position as assistant principal at Kate Collins Middle School.
“Ms. Christian is highly respected for her exceptional work as a member of our administrative team and her role in the early development of Valley Academy,” said Waynesboro Superintendent Jeffrey Cassell. “She excels at building meaningful relationships with students and families, even in the face of challenges, and she brings out the best in every student by focusing on their strengths and potential. I am confident that her leadership will set the tone for high expectations and positive outcomes at this new school.”
For the past two and a half years, Christian has been an assistant principal at Kate Collins Middle School, where she has been instrumental in supporting students academically and behaviorally.
Before joining Kate Collins, Christian served as a school counselor at Valley Academy, supported students with sensory disabilities at the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, and worked in Augusta County and Staunton City Schools.
Christian holds a bachelor’s degree from James Madison University and a master’s degree from Radford University. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree at James Madison University.
— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
Staunton names teachers, support staff of year
STAUNTON — Staunton City Schools announced its teachers and support staff members of the year during the December school board meeting Monday, Dec. 9.
TEACHERS
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Kim Jones, third grade, Bessie Weller Elementary
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Christina Fitzgerald, kindergarten, McSwain Elementary
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Karen Grady, first grade, Ware Elementary
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Mary-Fay Browning, seventh grade special education, Shelburne Middle
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Jake Etzel, special education, Staunton High
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Laurie Nolley, preschool, Dixon Education Center
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Ron Herr, special education, Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Center
SUPPORT STAFF
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Markita Whatley, administrative assistant, Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents
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Kyle Dean, bus driver, Staunton City Schools
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Jeret Stevenson, instructional assistant, Bessie Weller Elementary
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Tamar Grier, instructional assistant, McSwain Elementary
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Debbie Byrd, bookkeeper, Ware Elementary
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Mary Grasso, instructional assistant, Shelburne Middle
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Vivian Jones-Smith, secretary, Staunton High
“We appreciate each and every one of our teachers and staff for your unwavering commitment to educating and uplifting our students,” the school division said in a release.
More: Augusta County sheriff addresses last week’s delayed Amber Alert
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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com.
This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Stuarts Draft one-act play to compete in states Saturday: CHALKBOARD
