The Husky Huddle
This is the 'Husky Huddle,' the podcast that brings you closer to the heart of Olean City School education. Whether you're a parent, student, teacher, or a proud member of our community, this podcast is dedicated to providing insightful conversations, expert advice, and a closer look at what makes our district truly exceptional.
The Husky Huddle
What Happens When A Community Treats Arts Like Essentials
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A summer morning where 200 kids take the stage, the lobby is filled with student-made art, and the price of admission is literally “a smile” sounds almost made up, but it’s real at Olean City School District’s STAR Program. We’re joined by Steve Ahl, Olean High alum, district French teacher, and executive director of the Olean Theater Workshop, to break down how this free summer program becomes a month-long engine for learning, confidence, and community pride.
We talk about Seussical Jr, the junior musical that blends multiple Dr Seuss stories into one show, and how students from pre-K through seventh grade pull it off in just 19 rehearsals, even when many start with zero stage experience. Steve shares the “roots and wings” philosophy: the early weeks build skills and courage, and the final weeks let kids soar with real ownership. Along the way, we dig into why theater education is bigger than singing and dancing, and how it helps kids speak up, take risks, and feel like they belong.
The STAR Program also shines because the academics are real. Teachers build curriculum around the musical instead of using a boxed program, turning Seuss themes into reading, writing, math manipulatives, hands-on science, and even big questions about the solar system. We also preview the 250-book reading challenge, the student displays you’ll see in the lobby, and a pre-show that might be the cutest thing on a school stage: the youngest students playing small violins.
If you care about summer learning, arts integration, and what a strong school-community partnership looks like, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a friend who loves local schools and the arts, and leave a review with the moment that made you smile most.
Welcome Back To Husky Huddle
SPEAKER_01All right. So welcome to our most recent, but the first episode of the Husky Huddle of the next year, which is a 26, 27th school year.
SPEAKER_00Here we go.
SPEAKER_01You have now officially been the first person who has started the school year in the Husky Huddle twice.
SPEAKER_00I am honored.
SPEAKER_01Thank you. Thank you. So I am joined here on our Husky Huddle episode by the illustrious Steve all, who's going to talk to us about all things about our star program and about our really, really exciting upcoming performance and all the things that are happening during the star program. We are going to shout out shout-outs. We are going to have lots of husky fun. This is going to be nothing but an exhilarating episode to start out our 26th, 27th school year.
SPEAKER_00Now I'm loving all the adjectives because they are accurate. You're the summer is amazing. The summer is jam-packed. Awesome. Olean never ends. That's right. Our district is really one of the leaders in our area for summer programming. Yes, we are. We have enrichment programs running throughout the whole summer. We have teachers who are stepping up and working with the kids, not only to help with remediation, but also enrichment. Right. We are so lucky in our community and in this district to have the support and the interest for all these kids to do the program. Right. I mean, just the star program alone, we have almost 200 students involved.
SPEAKER_01That's amazing. That's amazing. So before we go too far, because I want to talk all-star all day, and we can talk until the power runs out on the computer, right?
Meet Steve All And The Partnership
SPEAKER_01So, but tell my friends out there who may not know who you are, who you are.
SPEAKER_00Well, my name is Steve All. Um I'm actually an Onlyan High alum. Woo! Uh graduated in 2012, and I went away for a little bit, but I am back. I work in the district as the French teacher. Yes. So 8 through 12 French. But also, you know, in my copious amounts of time, I am also the executive director of the Olean Theater Workshop. Oh my gosh. And so down across from Oak Hill Park, if you see the reddish-looking church, that's the Olean Theater Workshop. We offer kids classes to teach them how to act, how to sing, how to just have fun. And we put on musicals down there. And the Olean City School District and the Olean Theater Workshop have a partnership.
SPEAKER_01Okay.
SPEAKER_00We come together every summer for the STAR program, which takes a musical. The school district creates curriculum around it to enrich the students, keep them learning, keep them from backsliding over the summer. And in only 19 rehearsals, with the help of the marvelous. It really is. I've been doing it for a while, and 19 still scares me. That's a scary number. Yeah. But with the help of the people at the Olean Theater Workshop, we come together to put on a junior musical. Yes. A junior musical is a little different from a full-length musical. A full-length musical has the intermission. It's about two, two and a half hours. Junior musical is only an hour.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Listen. Hour of phenomenal.
SPEAKER_00Hour of fun. Yes. And the kids are from pre-K through seventh grade. Wow. 200 kids. That is a lot of moving parts.
SPEAKER_01And they do it without missing a beat.
SPEAKER_00They really do. They really do. And most of these kids, what I love is they come with zero stage experience. Right. They come, never have taken a dance class, you know, having music just during the school year. It's kind of a full group thing. And they come and they step up and they grow. Yes, they do. Our big thing at the STAR program is the first week or two, we are giving the kids roots. We're giving them the confidence. We are giving them the know-how. And the last two weeks, they get their wings. They soar into it on their own. They have grown so much, not only as a performer, but also as a human being. I always say my favorite thing about theater, you know, when I'm working with kids, it's we have, I mean, the workshop has had kids go on to Broadway, go on to TV, and that's wonderful. But I am more proud of the kids who have gone from not saying anything in their class to being brave enough to raise their hand and ask a question than anything else. If I can get them to that level, then we've done our job. That's what theater is all about. It's that you're confident enough to say what you think, to ask questions, to be vulnerable. And these kids step up so willingly. Yeah. And so it's really great to be.
SPEAKER_01Over such a wide grade range. I think that's what's so cool. You come in and you see this junior musical, and you'll see our little babies, our pre-K and our kindergarten up on the same stage with our seventh graders, just doing an amazing job, having a great time. And the camaraderie that comes with that. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know, our our fourth through seventh graders are in one group, you know, one stage time. And we work together, and right at the end of their period, everybody comes into the auditorium, and the pre-KK ones are walking in and they're seeing them on stage and they're getting inspired. But the bigger kids are always waving to the pre-KK1s. They're supporting them whenever they sing, they're clapping for them. Oh I have never seen kids, you know, chit-chatting when another group is performing. And I think that really shows them, you know, how to interact together and shows the little ones that wow, even though we have an age difference, we still come together and we're still that tight community.
SPEAKER_01Yeah. So we're all part of the same team. I love that. I love that.
Seussical Jr And Classroom Curriculum
SPEAKER_01So when they are not immersed in this theater experience, what else are they doing in the STAR program?
SPEAKER_00That's a great question. So um we run on a three-period day. We all start with a free breakfast. They have a little snack, we do a 15-minute warm-up with their grade level, and then they go to first, then second, then third period. One of those periods is always their stage time. They have a period every day where they come, practice, rehearse the musical. Okay. But the other two periods, they are with their teachers, uh, their teachers, and they have a curriculum based on the musical. Wow. This is not a curriculum that we buy, it's not one that comes from a book. Right. This is our dedicated teachers take the musical. We brainstorm before the program starts of what are some of the cool things that happen. So I brought with me a little list of I can't wait to hear the cool things that we're doing. Uh-huh. So second grade with Mrs. Batone, uh, I'm sorry, Ms. Batone and Mrs. Brooks, um, they looked at the book All the Places You'll Go. Oh, I love that book.
SPEAKER_01Yes, yes.
SPEAKER_00Popular with graduates. And they are looking at the different states and why one might like to travel to the United States since it's our 250th anniversary. They thought, let's integrate the United States into travel, into that idea. That's a great idea. And connect it to Dr. Seuss.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, which I guess I should go back and say what is our junior musical this year?
SPEAKER_01Well, that's I was waiting for you to kind of land that.
SPEAKER_00Our junior musical is Seussical. So it's um all the Dr. Seuss stories combined to make one musical that centers around Horton, hearing the who's on a dust spec and protecting them from the other jungle animals who do not believe they exist. Oh my gosh. That sounds so adorable. So there is um a lot of music that you'll notice, like green eggs and ham, solace salute, um, even the Grinch makes an appearance. Wow. And so our teachers have kind of taken these books and ran with it to make a curriculum. Okay, awesome. They the first grade has done a lot of Dr. Seuss Crafts. They've done a cat in the hat cup stacking challenge. Oh, wow. Um, they had put me in the zoo slime making, a lot of hands-on science. I know um our math teachers have started doing a lot with one uh one fish, two fish, redfish, bluefish. Okay. And a lot of math manipulatives that have to do with Dr. Seuss.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_00Um, there was a cooking component with green eggs and ham.
SPEAKER_01Did they make green eggs and ham?
SPEAKER_00I don't think they've actually made the green eggs in ham. Okay. That was a little tough, but with that number of kids, you know. But they have looked into making their own dairy products, I know, and through our local partnerships. And the kids have been kind of into that.
SPEAKER_01Nice.
SPEAKER_00Um, and they've even looked into that, I know second grade has looked into the solar system and growing in that science component because we talked about, you know, Horton sees a dust spec, he hears help on it, there's a bunch of who's on it. Isn't that like our planet rolling around our solar system?
SPEAKER_01Oh, yeah. You can see that connection.
SPEAKER_00So, what is out there? Could other people exist on other planets? You know, you never know. And our kids get to investigate this stuff. That's awesome. I love that. And as far as the whole program, we have implemented a challenge. Okay. Since it is the 250th anniversary of the you know, the United States of America, it's our birthday. It is. And Dr. Seuss is a great author. We are challenging the kids to read 250 books. Whoa. 250.
SPEAKER_01That's a lot of books.
SPEAKER_00It is a lot of books. And they don't have to be huge chapter books. They can start with all the Dr. Seuss. Okay. And with each book, they fill in one of the states, right? So states, they have to do that five times. And then as they complete the sheet, they bring it in, and we're gonna hang them in the lobby when you come in.
SPEAKER_01Oh, wait, are they reading all 250 this summer?
SPEAKER_00They're looking to do it this summer. Wow!
SPEAKER_01So the kids are really we're reading. I was hoping for one good novella.
SPEAKER_00No, we are we are in the ground running.
SPEAKER_01Wow. Okay, that's wonderful.
SPEAKER_00When you walk in on July 31st, 10 a.m., you are going to see these sheets with the books that they've been reading. You're gonna be seeing the crafts that the kids have been creating based off of Dr. Seuss characters. You are going to be seeing pictures of what they're doing on these hands-on activities that are helping them in math, in science, in reading, in history. And then you will come in to see one of the cutest shows that you will see also.
SPEAKER_01Wait, oh my gosh, this sounds adorable. So if people are listening and they still aren't clear when we are going to see this
Reading 250 Books And Lobby Showcase
SPEAKER_01all culminating in this amazing performance, what day? Where do we need to be? Is there a special thing I should be wearing to make sure that I fit in?
SPEAKER_00Great question.
SPEAKER_01And more importantly, how can we support everyone being a part of this phenomenal culmination for our kids?
SPEAKER_00I love it. So get out your calendars right now. I will give you a second. Okay, we're there. We gotta wait time. We're gonna take the calendar in on Friday, July 31st, 10 a.m. It starts. 10 a.m. Where? In the auditorium of Olean High School. Now, of course, you don't want to be rolling in right at 10. No. Come in early. Some time in the lobby. That's right. See all the cool things we've hung up. That's right. But we are starting at 10. Okay. You gotta ask me. Biggest question what's the cost?
SPEAKER_01What is the cost? I can't believe I forgot to ask. Nothing.
SPEAKER_00The Starum is a free program for all its students and for all the people coming to see the show.
SPEAKER_01I can't believe it. Really free. Come in with a smile. I can't wait. That's our cost of admission. A big smile. We want happy people coming in. Yes.
SPEAKER_00And let me tell you, these kids will have bright colored t-shirts on. So if you want to fit in, you just wear a nice bright-colored t-shirt. You will fit right in with the chaos.
SPEAKER_01All right. Now, big question. Do I have to have green eggs in hand for breakfast to come in?
SPEAKER_00You do not. You do not. It is recommended. Okay. We do appreciate seeing the photos. So we will not turn you away if you did not.
SPEAKER_01Okay, that's important. That's important. So I'm so excited. I can't even wait to find a bright colored t-shirt to wear on July 31st. Getting here early to get my nice little seat so that I can watch Susical on the big stage at Oleanne High
Show Day Details And How To Attend
SPEAKER_01School.
SPEAKER_00You are correct. And you know what? I'm going to throw in one other thing. I'll tell you that. We not only have Susical the musical, we have a little pre-show. There's a pre-show? Pre-show. At 10 o'clock, the cutest of our little who's will come out, the pre-K, the K's, and the ones. Oh my goodness. And they are going to play their small violins for you.
SPEAKER_01Oh my goodness. This is the cutest thing I've ever heard. I can't believe it. Mini violins. Mini violins with the who's. I if you aren't here on July 31st at 10 a.m., where could you be to get such joy? Nowhere else. There's nowhere else.
SPEAKER_00I mean, turn off the news, turn off the, you know, the TV where they're yelling at each other. Don't come down.
SPEAKER_01Sulk about Argentina losing the World Cup anymore like I am. Like I am. Yeah. We're going to let it all go. We're going to move on. And we're going to be just completely engulfed with joy here at Oleanne High School.
SPEAKER_00I mean, how lucky are we that we have an orchestra programming? I mean, my gosh. What a great, you know, way of putting in our resources into our students. And then
Pre-Show Violins And Student-Made Art
SPEAKER_00to have such a great arts program, which, by the way, speaking of art, the kids are making their costumes. What? The kids are help making the set.
SPEAKER_01I was just about to ask that. Who makes the sets? Who makes sure that everybody knows what song to sing?
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah.
SPEAKER_01Who's making sure that they have the right costumes on?
SPEAKER_00Mr. Milne is doing a great job in the art room.
SPEAKER_01Oh my god.
SPEAKER_00At some point during the week, they're making parts of their costume.
SPEAKER_01That's wonderful.
SPEAKER_00We are so lucky on the stage. Um, yeah, like I said, this is a partnership. So the Olean Theater Workshop has a wonderful pianist, uh, Mr. Doug Bushnell. Many of you know him. He was the voice on the pig for a very long time. Um, renowned, amazing musician. You'll notice him in our um our Fine Arts Hall of Fame at Olean High.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, and he is our employee that we at the Olean Theater Workshop pays to help us assist with the production of the so a big thanks to the Oleanne Theater Workshop.
SPEAKER_01Thank you so much for this partnership and thank you for your work that helps serve as that conduit between Oleanne and our wonderful students, and that that organization that's helping our kids be immersed in the arts in the summer. What a wonderful way to spend the summer.
SPEAKER_00Truly. There's no other place I would rather be. Yes, me either. And you know, uh the great thing it too is it's for one month. It's July. Yeah. And your parents, you know, as parents, I know you're busy, right? Yeah. You are gonna plan vacations and do it in August and have your kids here. We will take good care of that. Yes, we will make sure they're having fun, they're having breakfast, oh my gosh. Vacations are for August and then back in school in September. Yes. Who can do a better summer than that?
SPEAKER_01I can't think of one. So, is there anything else that you want to share on the behalf of the program or on the behalf of your wonderful colleagues that are really working hard to make sure that the students have a wonderful experience this summer?
The STAR Legacy And Closing Thanks
SPEAKER_00I would say this is just my takeaway from the STAR program. You know, the STAR program has been run for decades at this point. You know, I've always called it the crown jewel of our district. You know, this great free program that so many kids enjoy.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And I mean, myself, I was in the STAR program starting in 1999. Oh my gosh. And one of the things that I am the most proud of when looking at that program is not how many amazing actors and actresses that it produces, even though it has produced a few. How many teachers it has produced.
SPEAKER_01Oh.
SPEAKER_00And I've talked to some of them, you know, who they went through the star program, they became teachers, they went into education, and a lot of them had said a big part of their ability to get up in front of a classroom comes from that being on the stage and integrating it into an educational setting.
SPEAKER_01What a connection.
SPEAKER_00And I always have been so proud of that.
SPEAKER_01Yes.
SPEAKER_00You know, we are really bettering the world, right? Those kids will then become teachers, they will inspire other kids, and the circle just keeps on going.
SPEAKER_01And that tradition has so much impact on our community, on all our students, on our teams here at the Oleanne City School District. It's just an amazing legacy that's being perpetuated every single summer. Yes.
SPEAKER_00So if you want to come and support the kids, you have to do nothing more than show up. That's right.
SPEAKER_01Your cost is a smile. Friday, July 31st, 10 a.m. And we're air conditioned. So if it happens to be hot that day, this is the place they're gonna be. Yes. Well, thank you so much for coming and joining me on our most recent, but first of all, again, the first episode of the 26-27 school year of the Husky Huddle. There we go. Thank you so much for joining me. I can't wait for the Seussukil Musical. And I've got a bright t shirt ready and ready to go. Here we go. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Thank you. Yes.