Katherine Nobles
At Archbishop Wood, we encourage our students to recognize that leadership and service extend far beyond the classroom. This fall, our Performing Arts Department is demonstrating exactly what that means by turning its upcoming production of 13 the Musical into an opportunity to educate, advocate, and make a difference.
One of the characters in the musical, Archie, is a teenager living with muscular dystrophy, a group of genetic diseases that cause progressive muscle weakness. Rather than simply portraying this character on stage, our theater community recognized an opportunity to bring greater awareness to the challenges faced by individuals and families affected by this disease. Taking the initiative, members of our theater community reached out to the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) to request educational resources and explore ways to share information with our audiences. What began as a simple effort to educate our cast, crew, and theatergoers quickly grew into something much bigger!
Their outreach caught the attention of MDA’s national office, whose representatives were thrilled by Archbishop Wood’s commitment to awareness and advocacy. The organization has since partnered with our theater program, providing educational materials, resources for our audiences, and more than 100 MDA t-shirts for our cast and crew. According to MDA, although 13 the Musical has been performed on Broadway and by numerous theater groups, this is the first time a production has reached out to the organization to establish this type of partnership.
What makes this initiative especially meaningful is the example it sets for our entire school community. Our students are learning that leadership is not simply about holding a title, and service is not limited to completing required hours. True leadership means recognizing an opportunity to help others and acting upon it. Through this partnership, our students are using their talents and their platform to give a voice to those affected by muscular dystrophy.
To expand this effort beyond the theater, Archbishop Wood will host a school-wide Green Dress Down Day on Friday, Nov. 13, in support of MDA awareness. Our Performing Arts students will be invited to wear their MDA t-shirts, and the entire student body will be encouraged to participate by wearing green in support of this important cause.
We are incredibly proud of the initiative, compassion, and leadership demonstrated by our theater community. Their efforts remind us that even the smallest act of service can grow into something extraordinary. This is what it means to live our mission at Archbishop Wood and to put our motto, Faithfulness Merits the Crown, into action.
We invite you to support both this important cause and our talented performers at 13 the Musical, November 12–15.
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Katherine Nobles is principal of Archbishop Wood High School in Warminster, Bucks County.
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