The tale as old as time was told with a twist as students from Virtuous Academy presented a beloved Disney favorite on the stage of the Kelly Strayhorn.
Entertwined with a faith-based adaptation, the children of Virtuous Academy put on a theatrical production of the Disney classic, “Beauty and the Beast,” May 23.
Iyana Tennon, the academy’s founder, said the production is a way of showcasing the student’s talent while fundraising.
Virtuous Academy, a faith-based Christian school, opened in September of 2008 as a vision of Tennon to give back to the Duquesne community where she grew up and had been educated. She said she saw that the educational opportunities in the area were lacking. “I wanted to provide quality education to area students here, so that they wouldn’t have to move.”
With its mission to “motivate students to achieve academic excellence and positive citizenship through a rigorous curriculum, a concentration in virtuous values and a concentration in S.T.E.A.M education,” the school focuses on the child’s ability versus the state standards.
“Not all kids learn at the same pace,” said Tennon. “We make sure each student masters their current level before moving on to the next.” She said the academy gives each student the individualized attention needed to succeed. Something public schools cannot do. “They are challenged here to go above and beyond.”
Karen Denton echoes that sentiment. Her son, Rayvonn, is in grade 4, yet doing grade 5 math. “He is challenged beyond his full potential at the school. They work with each child at their own level individually,” Denton said.
Rayonn gives Virtuous Academy a thumbs up saying he recommends “every child attend if possible.” Rayvonn, who hopes to become a musician when he grows up, got a taste of his aspired vocation as he played the keyboard during the production.
Lack of funding forced the school to close in 2011, but with a grant from the Heinz Endowments, it reopened in 2013 with a renewed vigor. Tennon was even more determined to provide quality education in a cultured and save environment to children in the area.
Virtuous Academy, which started with a handful of students, now serves children in grades 2 through 8. Tennon said she hopes to expand in the near future.
Jennifer McCoy has two children in Virtuous Academy. She said she chose the school because of the Christian-based curriculum and smaller class size. She said they are excelling academically at the school in ways they didn’t at their former school. “They get more attention here, and that’s important,” McCoy said.
McCoy’s daughter Natalia Jenkins likes the school because “all the children and teachers are nice,” while her brother, Nathaniel, also enjoys the class sizes.
The evening included a silent auction featuring Steelers tickets, Disney World passes, an American Girl doll, and many others.
Sponsored by Dollar Bank and Gateway Medical, clothing for the performance was provided by Macy’s of Century III Mall and The Gown Company of West Mifflin. Proceeds benefit the school’s scholarship fund.
(To find out more about Virtuous Academy, visit the website https://virtuousacademy.org/home/. )
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Virtuous Academy performs classic tale with a twist