Schoolhouse Rock Live! -
Ankeny High School
Who's Who
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Mollie Jo Blahunka
Director
Mollie Jo Blahunka is in her second year as head director of the AHS drama department and as a staff English teacher. A fond memory she has of Schoolhouse Rock is coming home to the cartoons playing on the television, she says The Preamble actually helped her ace her constitution exam. In addition, her favorite part of the production process is seeing the actors make extrordinary artistic choices on their own. When asked why she wanted to become a teacher, Ms. Blahunka said she had a phenonmenal high school English teacher who made her find grit and insight within herself to be an educator. In the spirit of Schoolhouse Rock, her favorite subjects in school were Drama and English, of course! A fun fact about her is that she was the president of her high school's chapter of the National Thespian Society and she also has a dog, Minnie, who is equally dramatic as she is.
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Patrick Hurley
Assistant Director
Mr. Hurley has been a Early Childhood Special Education Teacher for 9 years and has served as the department assistant director for the last 2 years. He remembers watching the Schoolhouse Rock cartoons as a child and his favorite character was King George! His favorite part of the production process is the sets and costumes! He was also a professional costume designer before becoming an educator, fun fact!
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Ben Walters
Music Director
Ben Walters is in his 6th year as the head director of the Ankeny High School Choral Music Department. Mr. Walters, aside from music directing the spring musical, serves as the director of the varsity choir and show choir, Concert Choir & Visual Adrenaline. Mr. Walters' favorite part of the production process is seeing actors have their breakthrough moment and in the spirit of Schoolhouse Rock, his favorite subject in school has always been choir! He says his love for teaching was sparked by his parents who were both teachers and by many other family members. Mr. Walters' previous memories with Schoolhouse Rock Live! include his role in the show in high school when they performed on the mainstage of the International Thespian Conference! A fun fact about him is that he loves animals, having a cat, named Dolce, and a dog, named Bella, himself.
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