LansingCurrent.com

Only the brave were allowed to enter Lansing Intermediate School auditorium one day last week.

English as a Second Language students from Lansing's elementary, intermediate and middle schools put on a play Thursday, May 18, to showcase their language skills last week. But the play wasn't for the faint of heart, so security guards (the students) kept a close eye on who was allowed to enter.

"You really don't want to come to this," the program warned, "but if you do choose to endanger yourself and your dear family, you're invited to a night of terror."

The students presented "Our Tower," which was written by the LMS students and loosely based on the Disney flick "Tower of Terror" - "very loosely," said Paul Dorsey, ESL teacher.

In the play, various groups of students decided to look for treasure in an old hotel. After scheming and searching, they all come up empty-handed, chasing two "fairy princesses" who have already found the treasure box.

The play was riddled with antics, including a set of commercials. Dorsey said the students had been impressed by American television ads.

At the end, students presented best actor awards to the fairy princesses, kindergartners Sofie Claessen and Nikolett Polyak.

Dorsey said his students had worked on the play for more than four months. He insisted that every student be a part of the play, he said, which presented a challenge because Sofie and Nikolett were too young to read a script or memorize lines. The fairy princess roles written for the girls worked out well, Dorsey said.

Overall, Dorsey said he was highly impressed with his students' progress.

"These kids are just so smart, it's scary," he said.

He pointed to their use of jokes during the play and commercials.

"That's a good indication of how well they know the language," he said.