East High School takes the violence from the school’s hallways and places it on stage as its drama students addressed the issue through the school production “Voices From Washington High.”

The school production utilized not only the voices of students, but that of their parents, brothers and sisters, and teachers as well. All of the voices put together formed a production which passed on a message.

The play’s director and school drama teacher, Ruth Anne Gaines commented “The play is very timely.”

38 students made up the cast of the play as 17 more were part of the backstage crew. Gaines also remarked that the students were able to connect with their own characters and in ways find themselves in them. In preparation for the play, the students rehearsed during every session of theater arts class and even put extra effort in a special effect for the play itself.

Gaines said "The students are producing a PowerPoint of national headlines about school shootings that will be shown right before the play starts."

Brittany Scroggins, a senior at East High, played the part of Denise. Denise was a character who was pictured as an unloved, confused senior.

Scroggins commented "What I like about the role is that it's like most girls I see - kind of how I used to be. What I enjoy about the play is that it shows things that people don't see, what high school kids go through."

“Voices From Washington High” was a brave production which discussed troubled teen topics which can be pretty hard to put out there in the open. But it successfully faced these issues head on, and by presenting them to the community it gave the message that these issues should not be ignored but faced.

"The community should have come out for the play because the plot and theme are so relevant and realistic," Gaines said.

The cast featured:

Jessica Benson, Sarah Johnson; Mackey, Randy Duncan; Eddie Williams, Michael Garrison; Coulee Mark, Herb Holder; Laura, Andrea Mart; Mother, Brittany Stilson; Father, Daryl Saunders; Denise, Brittany Scroggins; Isaac Kramer, Jared Weatheral; Melissa, Elizabeth Holmes; Miss Allen, Sarah McFarland; Mr. Baldwin, Travis Stewart; Claudia, Janyssa Camp-Cunningham; Kay Devlin, Tiffanie Porter; Mike, John Thompson; Kay's Mother, Tia Mays; voice of policeman, Melvin McGregor; voice of Coulee's mother, Lindsay Kilts; extras: Katie Stroud, Sammie Beal, Chekesha Clark, Michael Davidson, Aaron Brown, Kalea Deak, Paulina Do, Tiffany Haltom, Salena Harrold, Sashekwa Hughes, Tyrae Kemp, Lois Lewis, Melissa Morton, Zoe Niswander, Ashlyn Robinson, Tyler Rounds, Allison Stuhr, Daquinta Sumlin, Paige Updike, Jordan Wentland.