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Luverne Elementary second- and fourth-grade students dressed and sang as dogs and cats Friday for their public performance of “The Unity Tree” by Teresa Jennings.
The production centers on the notion that cats and dogs are not meant to get along, but, as in other Luverne Elementary musical performances, there is a lesson to be learned.
“It’s about accepting people even though they are different,” said music teacher Beth Capistran.
The 172 students were divided in half with Capistran directing the “dogs” and first-year music teacher Morgan Smith leading the “cats.”
“It was a lot of fun,” Smith said about her directing debut. “You don’t realize how much work needs to be done behind the scenes. … It’s nice having a great mentor in Beth.”
When “Puppy” (second-grader Oliver Carbonneau) and “Kitty” (classmate Kaidyn Mundt) question why cats and dogs don’t get along, they find as they get to know each other playing together is fun.
The other “cats” and “dogs” accuse each other of kidnapping Puppy and Kitty, but when the two reveal that they became friends despite their differences, so did the other cats and dogs. Everyone decided they can live in harmony together and not fight like cats and dogs.