As spring comes around the corner, students are putting a huge time commitment into putting the musical together, this year’s musical being “Beauty and the Beast.”

Parents, teachers and community members look forward to seeing the array of student talent that is put on display in the show each year. However, there is typically one factor that is not so often recognized: the involvement that the teachers and administration have in the musical.

In past years, there have been notable occasions where a teacher, principal or superintendent has had an appearance on stage.

Back in 2015, FHS put on the production of “West Side Story.” Superintendent Jeffrey Fuller made a guest appearance as a cart vendor.

In 2017’s production of “Grease,” there were a few more parts for high school staff to be involved. Principal William Deal appeared in a few scenes as the man working in the diner. Those scenes with the T-Birds in the diner with Deal’s character were some of the more comical scenes in the musical, gaining grins and chuckles from a majority of the crowd.

On top of that, high school English teacher Aaron Fitzpatrick took on the role of the Teen Angel. Fitzpatrick performed the song “Beauty School Dropout.”

This year, there are even more teachers who will be appearing in scenes and taking part in this highly cast-involved show. On top of the returning performers, Fitzpatrick and Deal will be joined by some newcomers to the stage, like elementary school principal Rich Edder, middle school principal Ryan Smith and high school history teacher Nathaniel Langelli.

For some of these adults, even if it may be their first time on the FHS stage, they have experience elsewhere. Langelli participated in a musical during his own high school days and won a Mancini award.

“I was asked if I would be interested in having a small role in the musical. I knew other teachers were thinking about it and I thought that it would be a fun experience,” Langelli said.

Working on bigger extracurricular projects, like a musical, is a great bonding experience for everyone you work with. This is no exception when adding teachers and administrators to the mix.

“I haven’t been to too many practices yet, but overall my favorite part is interacting with students outside of the classroom. It’s fun seeing students in different environments,” Langelli said.

One thing most students can probably say about FHS is that the teachers are very involved and caring. On top of their responsibilities and work — along with social lives — they dedicate more of their time to working on the musical with their students.

“I think it is great for the district that teachers are involved in various activities outside of the classroom. It shows that we truly care about our students. We wouldn’t be involved if we didn’t care,” Langelli said.