The little cows’ eyes widen as Mrs. Wishy-Washy wheels her scrubbing machine in their direction. An apprehensive riff on the piano accompanies their squeals when she touches the tops of their heads with a silver pompom attached to an oversized hose. Bubbles float from the machine out over the ducks; would they be scrubbed clean next?
The younger students of Meadow Pond presented the delightful world of Mrs. Wishy-Washy on stage for their families on April 4. The show engaged the first-time actors in the fun of make-believe—they are barnyard animals who enjoy playing in the mud and often resist Mrs. Wishy-Washy's attempts to wash them. It also folded in a lot of learning.
“I remind the students: don’t watch the show—you are the show!” said Melissa Richardson, one of the school's music teachers, who adapted Joy Cowley’s Mrs. Wishy-Washy books into the Meadow Pond-original musical nearly two decades ago. It has been performed annually ever since.
The students have been working on Mrs. Wishy-Washy since January during daily music classes with Richardson and music teacher Nicole Cronin. They go through the script a page at a time, reading it, acting it out, and talking about it.
“By the time we are ready to perform, all of the students could be Mrs. Wishy-Washy, and all of the students could be the narrator,” said Richardson. “They know the material that well.”
She’s most impressed at the students’ growing ability to hold their focus for the entire 18-minute show and interact with a huge group—there were more than 60 students on stage this year.
“Mrs. Wishy-Washy has been a wonderful experience for all the special classes at Meadow Pond,” said special education teacher Helen Bock, who saw the play provide the benefit of belonging to her students. “Peer-to-peer support plays a powerful role in promoting both academic and social growth.”
At the end of the play, Mrs. Wishy-Washy returns to being kindergarten teacher Jackie Kovatch. “Let’s stay in our places for a moment,” she said to the students on stage. “I know some of the audience members will want to take a picture.”
At that moment, more than 100 phones are raised, recording the special memory of being part of Mrs. Wishy-Washy for another generation of Meadow Pond families
Narration by kindergarten teacher Marisa Donaghy
Mr. Dishy-Dashy played by librarian Nick Grasso
Piano accompaniment by music teacher Melissa Richardson