Cromwell Fourth Graders Host World Premiere

Pictured: Photo 1 Mrs. Chenkus’ fourth grade students Photo by Courtney Chute Chenkus
Photo 2 The teacher and her students at the premiere of their video Photo by Tom Chute

Courtney Chute Chenkus has appeared in community theater productions and is a talented choreographer. She also happens to be the daughter of WATR’s Tom Chute, who frequently mentions her during his morning drive program on the Waterbury radio station.

Mrs. Chenkus’ day job is teaching fourth grade at Woodside Intermediate School in Cromwell, CT. Her famous dad could not have been prouder of his daughter when he visited her class on Tuesday. Mrs. Chenkus had completed a big project with her fourth grade students and they were ready to show off the final product.

The students had read the book Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea at the beginning of their fourth grade year. The author is from CT and the action in his first novel is set in his home state. Mr. Buyea taught third and fourth graders in Bethany, Connecticut for six years before moving to Massachusetts, where he now lives with his wife and three daughters. He currently teaches biology and coaches wrestling at Northfield Mount Hermon School.

Before they moved on to fifth grade, Mrs. Chenkus’ students took it upon themselves to start a project of writing a play based upon this novel for young readers.

“They were so excited about it that there was no possibility I could say no,” their teacher reports. The project really was their own from the ground up, making it all the more impressive. “The students used the events in the book as inspiration to write their own version of the story,” she said.

The fourth graders then recorded the play on iPads and created a video. Mrs. Chenkus produced and edited the video short late into the night before the world premiere on Tuesday.

“Every single student had a part in this project,” their proud teacher said. They served as writers, directors, actors, prop masters and more.

Mr. Chute traveled to his daughter’s classroom in order to attend the world premiere. He had the pleasure of meeting her excited students and the appreciative parents. “I was a celebrity just for being her dad. Best dad’s day gift ever,” he wrote with the photo he posted on social media of Mrs. Chenkus and her students.