With so many people involved in the musical, and musical flyers hung around the school and city, the theater department is known by many. However, what some people may not know is that Teacher Jerome Flewelling is behind it all.

“I am the theater arts teacher, I also teach AP Physics, and I am the director for the shows,” Flewelling said. “With theater education, I teach people about theater. Some of that happens in the classroom, with the different types of acting and the introduction of students to all the different aspects of it. Then some of it is after school, doing the shows, getting all the shows ready, the awards and, we added this year, the sensory production.”

The musical this year is the story of Matilda, and the theater department has been hard at work getting everything ready for the shows.

“It’s so cool to see all of the vision and ideas come together, and all of the different people who have a part of making that happen, where it’s not all my ideas, it’s a creative process with everyone involved,” Flewelling said. “That’s what’s the coolest part about it all: the collaboration and all working together towards that vision.”

Flewelling has been hard at work and very busy with Matilda, but he tries to manage it and continues thinking for the future.

“Sometimes it’s hard to juggle so many different things at once,” Flewelling said. “Like, even though Matilda isn’t over yet, we’re already looking at the play for the spring and reading through the script and getting ready for that. And then also, now is the time that I have to start thinking about what we’re doing next year. I manage it the best I can, one task at a time.”

Flewelling has been here since 2001 and has worked with the theater department since 2003.

“My wife is from Lowell, and I’m originally from Pennsylvania,” Flewelling said. “When we decided that we wanted to start a family we thought we should move closer to one of our parents. I got an interview here, and thought, this is it. Then my wife got an interview, and she got a job in the system also.”

Flewelling’s hard work and experience help drive the theater department and his AP Physics students to success.