I enjoy following high school sports in the paper, and Greely High has certainly had its share to celebrate this year already. I even made it to the final Greely boys hockey games this year in which the team excelled.

Last weekend, I attended another stellar Greely achievement that showed off students’ skills, versatility and amazing teamwork. It was not a sporting event, but a fantastic sold-out performance of the challenging and beautiful musical “West Side Story.” The cast members nailed dance numbers, sang Leonard Bernstein’s complicated score beautifully (I love this music) and drew me into the powerful emotions of the story.

Congratulations to Annalise Panici (Maria), Camden Bubblo (Tony), Christina Gove (Anita), Kyle Sidders (Riff), Alban Michaud (Bernardo), Cori Farnham (Rosalia) and all the Sharks and Jets boys and girls, too many to name – a total cast of 40 that included four teachers.

But other talents also were on display. Five students joined other musicians in the pit; figures in black scuttled around the stage changing sets and setting props; students built sets, ran the lights, performed as stage managers and completed all the other work in concert with parents, teachers and Artistic Director Liz Rollins to make such a major event a success. Congratulations to the entire “West Side Story” team.

I wish your newspaper would highlight these individual achievements and incredible teamwork as often as you do sports teams. I wish you would report more on not just the impressive theater at local high schools, but other great performances in music and dance, art exhibitions, student volunteer projects and promote the range of skills, teamwork and achievements of these and other students in our local communities.

Peter Lindsay

North Yarmouth