Wisconsin School for the Deaf - The Wisconsin Times Vol. 131 No. 2 Winter 2009-2010 | Page 3

Elementary School News
by Jennifer Vander Molen

A Night at the Library
The elementary
department performed
a play called “A Night
at the Library” for
this year’s holiday
show. Featured in the
play were the talents
of Wisconsin School
for the Deaf’s young
actors. All worked long
and hard to pull the
production together
under the direction
of De Drymalski and
Jen VanDerMolen.
In preparation for the
big night, the students
learned their lines, their
blocking, and even the
Virginia Reel, a folk
dance that dates from
the 17th century.
The night of the play the stage came alive. The play begins as
a child enters the library at closing time and is then escorted
out by the librarian. But when the librarian turns her back the
child sneaks back into the library. When the child grabs a book
off the shelf, the book opens and the characters come alive.
The first book pulled from the shelf is Dance at Grandpa’s,

by Laura Ingalls Wilder, who lived a long time ago with her
family in Wisconsin. In the story, they received a letter from
their grandparents inviting them a party. The family went to the
grandparent’s house by horse and carriage to attend the party.

The night ended with great festivities and lots of dancing.
At the conclusion of the story, the child in the library puts the
book back on the shelf and selects another book. This time the
story is Hans Brinker and the Silver Skates, written by Mary
Mapes Dodge. The child opens the book and the characters jump
off of the page and into the library. This is the story. Hans and

Gretel Brinker enjoyed skating and wanted a chance to win the
race and the coveted silver skates. The brother and sister pair
were ver