Whiz Kids: CAPPIES Winners

• Whiz Kids:  CAPPIES winners
• Nominated By: 
• Accomplishment: Drama students from Holt were honored for their performances this year at the 7th  annual St. Louis on May 22.
• Key To Awesomeness: The CAPPIES (Critics and Awards Program) is a national organization with groups in major cities like St. Louis that train drama students to be theater critics. The students then travel to high schools in their area to view and critique student productions on everything from singing and acting to set design and sound effects. The student critics vote at the end of the year for their favorites in a variety of categories and the top nominees are honored at the CAPPIES Gala.  

At this year’s banquet, 22 Holt students were recognized as nominees and ten of those received top honors.  

Junior Brandon Callahan won as Featured Actor in a Play for his role in Is He Dead. Junior Kaylyn Bauer, sophomore Josey Coleman, junior Dana Engelhardt and senior Brian Flammang won for Costumes in The Music Man. Seniors Andrew Buell, Ryan Biggs and Nico Stringfellow, along with sophomore Chloe Buckman won in the Stage Crew category for their work on The Music Man.

Additionally, senior Sarah Hinds was named the Top Critic from Holt.

"This has been our most successful year with CAPPIES, both as writing teams and show personnel,” said Holt Theater Director and Communication Arts Teacher Robert Gleason. “We could not be more proud of the success our students have experienced." 

This year, 23 schools participated in the CAPPIES program and 175 critics reviewed 46 high school performances.