Voorhees High School’s Unified Theatre Spreads Their Unified Cheer
Over the weekend, Voorhees High School’s Unified Theater program performed their
fifth inclusive musical, Elf Jr. Families, schools, and community members filled the seats to see
the holiday classic! Co-Casting of lead roles is highlighted, as well as the use of augmentative
communication, to ensure that all students have an opportunity to perform! Unified students of
varying abilities perform this unique show for an audience that leaves with a sense of belonging,
acceptance, and overall kindness.
“The Unified Theater has been an amazing experience for Sebastian. It is an opportunity
for him to be with peers, doing something fun and making friends. For our family, this is a first, a
first for Sebastian to be a part of something that he would not normally get to experience. He is
thrilled to go to school, especially when he has play practice. His excitement showed during the
performance! We were especially excited when Sebastian started at Voorhees because of the
Unified program, because we know that he could gain a lot from the peers he interacts with but
also hope they can gain a positive experience from him.” – Melissa Washuta
“The Voorhees Unified Theater program has been the single best thing that my son has ever participated in. As a Mom, it has been amazing to see him on stage acting and singing-
things we never thought possible. The Unified students are wonderful, I can’t say enough great things about them.” – Kathryn Kleinhans
“I liked being Walter and yelling at Adrian, who played Buddy. It was funny. When I said
the story ideas were trashy and not good, everyone laughed at it.” – Wyatt Petto
“I have participated in 3 Unified theatre shows, both backstage and as a cast member.
With no prior ‘experience’ with peers with special needs, I quickly found friends and learned how
to communicate and perform with all students. I love seeing the talents and efforts being
appreciated on stage with applause and audience reactions. We all put a lot of work into
performing the show and then at the end dozens of people are clapping! Seeing the Unified
students’ reactions to the applause is such a positive experience; I will keep participating in
Unified theatre, for sure!” – Ian Schroeder
“The show was such a fun experience! I loved seeing all my friends so happy and able to
show off their talents in front of an audience” – Masen Chen
VHS Elf Jr. (Pictures)
