School in the Square News

Three years ago, a School in the Square teacher applied for a grant on a hunch: that our students were ready for the stage, and that the stage was ready for them. That hunch is now a production.

This June, third, fourth, and fifth graders from our Bilingual Elementary campus in Inwood will perform The Lion King Kids for the full S2 community as part of Disney Musicals in Schools, a national initiative that builds lasting musical theater programs in public elementary schools. It is the third and final year of the grant, and the most ambitious show yet.

We sat down with Sindy Castro, the teacher and director to learn more about what it took to get here, what has surprised her along the way, and what families can expect on the night of the show.

Why The Lion King?

I applied for the Disney Musicals in Schools grant in my first year at S2 because I wanted to give our students a real opportunity to do musical theater. We are now in our third year of the program, and some students have done two shows before this one. The Lion King felt like the right culmination. I have always loved the music, always wanted to see it on stage, and as a team we felt we had worked up to it. The show is about community, the music is joyful, and it gives us a real opportunity to feature a lot of students. It celebrates family and where you come from, and that feels like exactly the right note to end on for our fifth graders.

Has any moment stood out to you?

Seeing our fifth graders really step into their roles has been the most exciting part. I have a group of fifth grade girls playing hyenas who are fully committed to their characters and their movements in a way that surprises you. We performed at the ACE event for new families recently, and one of our students stepped into the role of Simba and just sang out fully for the first time on stage. It was a huge moment.

What moves me most is watching kids who started the program as shy third graders, kids I had barely heard speak in class, walk onto a stage now like they own it. Ready to say anything, do anything, take a big risk. And then there are our new third graders who have been waiting since first grade to be in the show, counting down every year. That tells us we are building something real here.

What has the Disney Musicals in Schools partnership meant to S2?

The program is structured as a three-year journey. In our first year, we had two teaching artists coming in, and our students got to see Aladdin on Broadway and perform there themselves. From there, the program mentors you through the process of building a sustainable theater program at your school. Our team has visited the Disney offices for professional development, received guidance from their teaching artists, and grown a lot of confidence along the way.



I have been a teaching artist for a long time, but stepping into the role of director for a school production with over 40 elementary students was something else entirely. Being part of this program gave our whole team the confidence to say: we can do this. We can put on a show. We can all work together and make it happen.

The big day is in June. What do families need to know?

The Lion King Kids will be performed for the School in the Square community on Friday, June 5th at 6:00 p.m. at the School in the Square High in Inwood. Come celebrate the work of our students and be part of the moment they have been working toward all year.

Any final words for families?

Come ready for something joyful. These third, fourth, and fifth graders have been rehearsing twice a week, and what they have built together is something worth celebrating. Come celebrate them.

What comes after the grant ends?

The goal of Disney Musicals in Schools was always to teach us that we can do this on our own. As alumni of the program, we will always have access to their online resources through Stage Connect, which has rehearsal videos and behind-the-scenes support for teachers putting on shows. But the real gift is the confidence. After this, we can do any kids show out there. Shrek Kids, and so many others. We now know what we are capable of, and we are excited to keep going.