Kerry Nolan

Seventh graders at St. Simon the Apostle School in South County last semester wrote an original opera.

And, last month, they helped direct the opera's first performance, which involved 50 kindergarten kids at the school.

Thirteen-year-old Kerry Nolan helped to write the closing song, "The Toothbrush March."

The song starts:

"We live in Veggie Ville.
"Our President's Drill N. Fill.
"We want veggies.
"We have veggies.
"They're delicious.
"And nutritious....

Kerry and 57 other seventh graders had a hand in writing the words and music for the original opera. It is titled: "It's a Yummy World After All."

They also helped with costumes, stage settings and direction of the actors and actresses.

Kristian Sedlak

Thirteen-year-old Kristian Sedlak helped with the stage scenery and handed out programs to the audiences.

She also had a chance to watch her younger sister perform. Asked how her sister did, Kristian said she followed stage directions very well.

Asked if her sister follows her directions when they are at home, Kristian said, "No."

Many of the seventh graders said their favorite part of making the opera was watching the kindergartners perform. There was an afternoon performance on Tuesday, May 15, for other kids in the school.

Then, at night, they performed again for parents, grandparents and other adults.

Steve Ladd

Thirteen-year-old Steve Ladd said his favorite part was watching the kids perform and "seeing how well they memorized their parts." He said the shows went off without a hitch.

The St. Simon students--both the seventh graders and the kindergartners--got plenty of help in writing and staging the opera from Opera Theatre of St. Louis. (For more information about Opera Theatre, you can click on www.opera-stl.org.)

Kindergarten teacher Mary Murphy and the school's music teacher, Barbara Roddy, got the opera idea last summer during an Opera Theatre of St. Louis workshop for teachers.

Then, in the fall, story teller Annette Harrison of Young Audiences worked with the seventh graders to develop the story line.

The plot involves a make-believe town, called Choctropolis, where candy is the favorite food. But, then the town's leader, President Choctropoly, gets a toothache while talking at a school assembly.

Sarah Haffner

That starts a change in eating habits in the town. Pretty soon, vegetables are the favorites. The town dentist, Dr. Drill N. Fill, fixes Choctropoly's decayed tooth.

Later, the dentist is elected town president. That's when the residents change the town's name from Choctropolis to Veggie Ville.

This spring, Opera Theatre brought in professional Christopher Limber as a trainer and stage director. The school used sets from the eighth grade class play, "Anything Goes."

Thirteen-year-old Sarah Haffner was one who helped put the songs to music. But, she said her favorite part of the whole production was "watching the little kids perform."

Phillip Diehl

Phillip Diehl, also 13, said he helped to come up with the town names and helped with the music. "It's nice to know that I helped to put on that performance," he said.

Joe Groeller helped in forming the ideas for the opera's story line. Then, on the day of the performance, he was in charge of running the spotlight to show off different kids on stage.

He said he enjoyed watching "my cousin, Tom (Groeller) up there performing."

The opera's closing song concludes:

"No more candy.
"Rots your teeth.
"We want veggies.
"We have veggies."

Then, as the curtain comes down, the kindergartners shout: "We All Got Veggies!"

Joe Groeller