On February 10, Wescott School third graders performed the musical "Race to Kilimanjaro." The production was written by music teacher Bill Vaananen. Each class acted as if they were entering Africa from a different direction: North (up the Nile), south (through the Kalahari), east (over the Great Rift Valley), and west (up the Niger River). They sang original songs representing the assigned region. All of the 54 countries of Africa were introduced. The final destination of the journeys into Africa was Mt. Kilimanjaro: the highest point on the continent.

During the rehearsal period for this show, students were introduced to African nations, geography, languages spoken, culture, animals and historic events.

"We were inspired by Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the male choral group from South Africa that sings in the vocal styles of isicathamiya and mbube," said Vaananen.

"We continue to marvel at Bill Vaananen's creativity and talent for producing such beautiful music and lyrics to accompany his thoughtful scripts," said Principal Dr. Terri Carman.

She thanked the following staff members for helping Vaananen to coordinate the program. They included Karen McCluskey, Amey O'Donnell, Connie Park, Kimberly Thompson, Sue Jaffe, Roy Grober, Ashley Graham, Tia Stevens and Joan Marsh.