Children’s Mental Health Week - “Iris the Dragon”
Children’s Mental Health Week - “Iris the Dragon”
As part of Children's Mental Health Week in May, a group of Assumption College students performed "Iris the Dragon" in front of two elementary school audiences. The play, adapted from Gayle Grass' popular books about children's mental health issues, told the story of a 12-year-old boy's struggles, and how he uses the help from his friends and family to resolve them. The boy, named "Fish", was played by Sean Grafton, Kristine Purdy was Ottie the Otter, and the title role, Iris, was played by Beth Zuwala. A few other students rounded out the cast, and all were supported by a small but dedicated student crew.
The play was well-received at both the Notre Dame / Branlyn performance and at Jean Vanier School. Both performances were followed by a question-and-answer-period, presided over by the play's characters.
There are many people whose hard work and dedication made this project possible, including the author and her associates, Terre Slaght and the school board, teachers and parents from St. John's and Assumption, and Dianne Wdowczyk and Flora Ennis from Woodview Children's Mental Health and Autism Services.
