Although the program is only three years old, Chaparral Bobcat Drama is already living up to its motto, “Excellence is Habit.”
For the first time in Chaparral’s history, Bobcat Drama has advanced to the area competition in One Act Play with its play This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing, placing them in the top 48 Class 5A Theatre Departments in Texas. Several students earned recognition at the bi-district competition, including Emely Fernandez, Outstanding Technician, and three students earning All-Star Cast – Amie Melton, Kiara Logan, and Hadassah Moon.
The celebrations don’t stop with One Act Play, however. Chaparral High School was named one of 23 Exemplary Campuses by the Texas Educational Theatre Association.
“They have the leadership skills and the confidence to tell their story to the audience,” said Samantha Dunaway, one half of Chaparral High School’s pair of theatre directors. “They take ownership of this project and go out in front of hundreds of people to tell their story.”
The troupe came home from the Texas Thespians State Festival earlier this school year with over $330,000 in scholarships and 142 callbacks from universities and colleges, the most in Killeen ISD history. “I’m proud that our students are just as invested as we are in always setting the bar and wanting to set the bar higher next time,” Dunaway said.
“All of our seniors have full-ride offers if they want to pursue theatre in college,” theatre director Chad Moore said. “We’re finding a way to open these doors for students who may have thought that they were closed.”
Another KISD record, 22 Chaparral students were named Texas Thespian Scholars based on both academic and theatrical requirements. A student must be an active member in good standing with the campus theatre department and have participated in theatrical programs throughout the school year. To qualify, students must also maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (or its local equivalent), meet any additional local theatre program criteria, and consistently demonstrate behavior and moral character that reflect positively on their school and community.
