A stage for everyone: Crystal Lake South teachers bring special education students into school plays

When Crystal Lake South High School theater director Ben Stoner picked the play “Fairycakes” last school year, it came with a note to “cast wildly.” He knew he wanted to incorporate the school’s special education students, but he didn’t know where to start. That was until he met recently hired teacher Dan Mitchell, who had the exact experience Stoner was looking for.

“It was perfect happenstance in that way,” Mitchell said. “He just opened up his doors and his program to our kiddos.”

Mitchell joined Community High School District 155 and Crystal Lake South’s special education department two years ago as a functional living skills teacher. A Crystal Lake native, Mitchell went to Crystal Lake South for his freshman and sophomore years. He always had a passion for theater, and previously worked at Special Gifts Theatre, a special-needs theater company on Chicago‘s North Side.

“It was a bit of a hike, but one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” he said.

Within a week of picking out the play, which combines characters from Shakespeare and traditional fairy tales, Stoner cast the show and created some roles to include Mitchell’s students. With financial backing from the district, they were able to staff nurses and paraprofessionals to assist the students while at the theater.

“I could never have done it without Dan,” Stoner said. “He has such a unique passion for those kids and the experiences they get.”

“It think that’s the culture that we’re trying to build here. We’re trying to say, ”Look at all these things these kids can do. Do you have a space that can help them?’"

—  Dan Mitchell, functional living skills teachers at Crystal Lake South High School

The following year, they were able to collaborate again on “SpongeBob the Musical.” The silly and colorful show allowed the special education students to be in roles just the same as the other students in the ensemble, Mitchell said.

“My kiddo, who is in a wheelchair, had these glow-up lights inside of his wheels, so that when he went out to do a doughnut in the middle of a song, he was able to really shine in that moment,” he said. “That’s what was kind of special about that show is that it wasn’t a FLS show. It was ‘SpongeBob,’ and they were a part of it.”

The school’s functional living skills program provides students with academics, such as English, math and social science, and also teaches functional performance tasks completed throughout the day. The classrooms include a sensory room, a kitchen and a living space where students build independent living skills such as cleaning, cooking and grocery shopping.

“A special ed teacher is trying to teach our students to tell their own story,” Mitchell said. “Our biggest goal is the highest level of independence, and in our program, that looks wildly different for each student.”

In order to help the FLS students feel at home with the theater group, Stoner asked his students to be peer mentors, which got a huge response. The connections and collaboration help all students involved learn how to navigate the world, Stoner said.

“That’s what it takes to coexist in this whole crazy world that we live in,” he said. “To see it in the microcosm of theater is just really awesome.”

The practice of incorporating special education students into school theater programs is spreading, Mitchell said. Schools, including Cary-Grove High, have featured special education students in plays, he said.

Mitchell aims to continue to find other ways for his students to connect with the community. Currently, they are working on a talent show to be performed at the end of this school year, with many students showing off singing and dancing skills while others showcase their work offstage with an art display. Mitchell recently got his class involved in halftime shows at a football game, and the school also started Special Olympics basketball and track teams.

“I think that’s the culture that we’re trying to build here,” he said. “We’re trying to say, ‘Look at all these things these kids can do. Do you have a space that can help them?‘”