They’re just amazing — a unique, very special group.”

Morgan Curtis, Hathaway School teacher

PORTSMOUTH — As far as anyone could remember, it was the first time third-graders had ever presented a play at Hathaway School.

Yet there they were on stage in the school cafetorium Friday afternoon, drawing laughter and applause from classmates, teachers and parents for their lively and polished musical presentation of “Jack and the Beanstalk.”

“They’re just amazing — a unique, very special group,” said Morgan Curtis, a third-grade teacher who teamed up on the musical with Ann Grimes, who teaches students in an inclusion class, an intensive special education classroom.

“Ann Grimes and myself were out one night and we were talking about how we both always wanted to put on a play,” said Ms. Curtis. “What better way to end their year than to put on a play?”  

At the time, both teachers thought the play would also act as a swan song for those students, since they’d be going on to fourth grade at the middle school. Earlier this year, however, the School Committee voted to move the fourth grade back into the elementary schools. 

“It doesn’t matter; I was going to do it anyway,” said Ms. Curtis with a laugh.

Neither teacher had ever been involved in putting on a play, she said, but help came in the form of an educational Spark Grant offered through the Rhode Island Foundation. Launched by philanthropists Letitia and John Carter in 2013, the Spark Grants program targets third-grade classes and is designed to give students a life-long love of learning. 

“Honestly, we had no idea what we were doing,” said Ms. Curtis. “Then I was given the opportunity to write a Spark Grant, which was a grant that was supposed to bring reading to life. I decided, what better way to bring reading to life than to act out a fairy tale?”

They first brought in Kaleidoscope Theatre, so students could see a  live theater performance, and then started rehearsing students in February to put on their own play.

“The practices have been so fun and they’ve spent so much time after school. We’ve had help from everyone — from teacher assistants and parents,” said Ms. Grimes.

They both said teaching assistant Deirdre Norsigian, the lead producer and director of the musical, devoted countless hours to the production and was invaluable in bringing it to the stage. They also credited retired colleague Nancy Doucet for her support, and thanked custodians John Sousa and Mel Bonilla for their help as well.