Students at Hunter High have been working hard on a tale as old as time, but with a unique twist.

The Hunter High Unified Performing Arts team partnered with special education classes to present a very heartwarming version of the musical “Beauty and the Beast.”

Special education students are stars of the production, with many taking on lead roles within the play. Drama Teacher Kjersti Parkes and her students worked to create a simplified version of the Disney tale which would be more accessible to those students who are differently abled. 

“I just wanted to provide a place for these kids to shine on stage,” Parkes said. “The students are having the best time and it’s so cute because you see the students in the hall, and they’ve just become best friends.”

“It’s amazing to see regular education students interacting with special education students as peers,” said Jessica Coffey a special education teacher with Hunter High. “Sometimes I feel our students get a little bit secluded in our classrooms and it’s great to see them all working together and just being friends.”

All of the special education students at Hunter High participated in the production which played to packed houses during it’s two-night run at the beginning of December.