Lawton elementary and early childhood students will have the opportunity to showcase their talents at the annual Lawton Public Schools’ Showcase this week.
Ashley McCarter, Showcase coordinator, said the event is an opportunity for all elementary schools and early childhood centers across the district to highlight their students. Performances include honor choirs, dancing groups, jump rope, gymnastics, bucket drums and coordinated basketball dribbling, among others. And oh, there might be a song or two thrown in.
“There will be a variety. They are not limited to one kind of act,” McCarter said of students who have been practicing their performances since January. This year’s theme is “Flying High”, taken from the movie “Wicked”.
Showcase will take place over two nights — Tuesday and Thursday — at Eisenhower High School and involve a total of about 400 students.
“We typically do two nights to keep the show length under 1 ½ hours,” McCarter said. Plus, the two-night schedule allows more students to be involved as emcees as well as in other roles.
“We want our kids to have the opportunity to be on stage in a big crowd,” McCarter said of why Showcase is important. “They spend the day with each other and it is a chance to highlight what is happening across the district. The kids think it’s a blast. They think it’s neat to be up on a big stage.”
Half the elementary schools will perform Tuesday and the other half on Thursday. Each school is typically allowed to have 30 performers, but due to a change in venue, schools were limited to 20 this year. In years past, the event was held at McMahon Memorial Auditorium, which is closed this year due to renovations.
Because of limited seating, McCarter said the audience will be limited to family members of performers; however, both nights of Showcase will be livestreamed on the LPS YouTube channel.
WHAT: LPS Showcase
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday
WHERE: Eisenhower High School, 5202 W. Gore
ADMISSION: Free. Doors open at 6 p.m.
TO WATCH: Each performance will be livestreamed on the LPS YouTube channel
TUESDAY PERFORMERS:
Brockland, Ridgecrest, Almor West, Eisenhower Elementary, Pat Henry, Edison, Cleveland, Carriage Hills, Hugh Bish, Woodland Hills
THURSDAY PERFORMERS:
Learning Tree, New Horizons, Lincoln, Whittier, Freedom, Crosby Park, Pioneer Park, Sullivan Village