Legacy of the Arts

The arts have been a cornerstone of Notre Dame Regional High School since the school’s inception in the 1920s. From modest student performances to a robust modern-day program that includes music, theatre, dance and visual arts, the performing and visual arts at Notre Dame have not only enriched the school community but also served as a powerful tool for student expression, creativity and personal growth. 

The first school production was a Christmas pageant titled There Was No Room In the Inn, held on December 28, 1927. 

That following June, music students gave a recital, marking the beginning of an early and ongoing musical tradition at the school. 

The class of 1929 performed the first class play titled Claudia. The senior class play was a tradition that was held consistently through the 30s, 40s and into the 1950s.

On December 30, 1939, thirteen St. Mary High School students organized a band with hopes to enlist additional members. The band was organized under Sister M. Norbertine who took charge of the music department the following school year. The first uniforms were purchased with proceeds from a watch raffle, and the band grew to 22 members.

In November of 1936, a Dramatic Club and a Glee Club were formed - the start of over 90s years of student organizations centered around the arts. 

The annual school musicale began in 1943 with Major Scale Takes Command. Other musicale performances in the 1940s included Betty Visits Music Land (1944), Genaesa Fiesta (1946) and Bohemian Girl (1948).

On February 9 and 11, 1945, St. Mary students performed a play titled Strains of Music from Story Book Land. The Glee Club and junior and senior band students also performed. 

A Theory of Music class was added to the curriculum in 1945.

In 1948, student artists, in cooperation with the Kiwanis Club, painted Halloween scenes on store windows in Cape Girardeau. 

In the spring of 1951, St. Mary won first place in the annual district high school play contest, besting 10 other groups at State College. St. Mary students presented an Irish folk play titled Riders to the Sea.

A saxophone trio and piano accompanist from Cape Catholic took top honors in their respective divisions in the annual musical festival at Fontbonne College in Clayton, Missouri, in March of 1956. In 1959, students received a one-plus rating at the music competition. 

The Cape Catholic Dramatic Club, along with the Music and Arts Departments, presented The Fortune Teller as the annual school operetta on March 1, 3 and 4, 1957.

The Cape Catholic band began playing during intermission of the A and B basketball games, and during halftime in December 1959. The band also made two marching appearances in the SEMO College Homecoming Parade and Veterans Day Parade that year.

Beginning a nearly 60-year tradition, Sister Rose Michelle and Sister Norbertine directed the school’s first all-school musical, The Sound of Music. Never before in the school’s history had a production of such major proportions been attempted. 

The second school musical, Brigadoon, was presented April 6-9, 1967. The next year, a successful production of The King and I was staged with a double crew of 165. Oklahoma! was the 1969 musical.

The 1971 musical, described as “both colorful and successful,” was The Music Man. The following year in the spring of 1972, the musical was Camelot, which was presented on a theatre-in-the-round stage in the center of the gym.

Other musical features in the 1970s included Hello Dolly! (1970), Fiddler on the Roof (1973), My Fair Lady (1974), Carousel (1975), where the actual carousel was described as a work of art, Irene (1976), The Fantasticks (1977), Annie Get Your Gun (1978) and Anything Goes (1979).

In 1974, the Dramatics Club presented five one-act plays. In 1976, the club took their show on the road to area Catholic grade schools. This touring show was held on a regular basis until 1990.

In the summer of 1976, Notre Dame’s Friendship Chorale, led by Sister Rosel, visited Romania for three weeks, bringing goodwill to the iron-curtain country through their music. This program was part of a larger effort by Romania to cultivate relationships and rebuild international ties after World War II.

The Concert Choir traveled to Nashville, Tennessee, in May of 1982 to attend the Sounds of America Music Festival. That same year, various school improvements were made, including a renovation to the art room. A new kiln and drafting table were installed, and counters and art desk stations were added.

In October of 1984, art students began painting a mural on a wall in the school cafeteria.

In January of 1989, the Concert Choir was selected to represent all 2A schools in Missouri at the Missouri Music Educators’ Association conference at Tan-Tar-A in the Lake of the Ozarks. In May of that year, all seven Notre Dame entries in the state music festival in Springfield, Missouri, earned “one” ratings (first place), a first-time honor for the school.

The spring musical tradition continued with productions of Babes in Arms (1980), Mame (1981), Guys and Dolls (1982), West Side Story (1983), Once Upon A Mattress (1984), Barnum (1985), Funny Girl (1986), Little Mary Sunshine (1987), Forty-Second Street (1988) and Damn Yankees (1989).

In the spring of 1991, Notre Dame’s Concert Choir wins first place in Class 2A at the Festival of Choirs in Kansas City.

In December 1993, Art III students constructed a cross which was installed at the Cape County Park Christmas display. 

On April 29, 1995, six students earned a “superior” rating and one earned an “excellent” rating at the state music competition in Columbia, Missouri.

On January 26, 1997, Miss Cynthia King, Notre Dame drama and English teacher, was honored for directing 25 years of the annual spring musical at Notre Dame. 

In 1999, vocal students began singing the Star Spangled Banner at every home game, which was a new initiative spearheaded by music teacher Ellen Seyer.

Notre Dame presented How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying April 15-18, 1999, marking the school’s 33rd spring musical and the first on stage in the new building at 235 Notre Dame Drive.

Other musical productions in the 1990s included Annie (1990), Into the Woods (1991), My One And Only (1992), Fiddler on the Roof (1993), The Secret Garden (1994), Anything Goes (1995), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1996), Annie Get Your Gun (1997) and The King and I (1998).

The fall play made its debut performance in the fall of 2001 with a presentation of Musical Comedy Murders of 1940. Thereafter, the fall play became an annual event. That same year, Thespian Troupe #6344 was launched.

The Notre Dame Pep Band made its debut in the winter of 2006. The Pep Band is the brainchild of Notre Dame teacher Ben Edwards (‘98). 

The Tri-M music honor society began offering singing valentines for students to give to their friends or someone special in February of 2006.

Musicals held in the 2000s were Once Upon A Mattress (2000), Oklahoma! ( 2001), Hello Dolly! (2002), West Side Story (2003), Crazy For You (2004), Forty-Second Street (2005), Damn Yankees (2006), My Fair Lady (2007), The Pajama Game (2008) and Anything Goes (2009).

The Notre Dame Performing & Visual Arts Hall of Fame was created in 2014 to recognize alumni and past or present faculty who have excelled in the performing or visual arts. These fields include dance, music, theatre and visual arts, with the hope to give present and future students role models of achievement and instill in them the knowledge that they, too, are capable of success personally and professionally. The first inductees into the PAVA Hall of Fame were Dr. Dan Cotner, annual spring musical orchestra member; Liesl Schoenberger Doty (‘02); Ronald Koehler (’68) alumni and Notre Dame faculty member from 1973-1976; Craig Milde (’84); Bill Schlitt (’73); Roger Seyer (’85); and Mike Sullivan (’75).

March 19-21, 2014, the Notre Dame band and choirs competed at their respective state music festivals, while the soloist and ensembles competed at districts. The band received a rating of 3 (good). The Concert Choir, Men’s Choir and Treble Choir all received ratings of 2 (outstanding), and Notre Dame had 20 soloists and 19 ensembles perform, all receiving 1 or 2 ratings.

The artwork of 10 Notre Dame art students was selected and displayed at the 37th annual High School Art Exhibition at Southeast Missouri State University’s River Campus in February of 2015.

In 2016, the school’s multi-purpose cafeteria was named “Cynthia R. King Performance Hall” honoring King’s 50 years of service in the performing arts at Notre Dame.

Musical held in the 2010s were The Sound of Music (2010), Thoroughly Modern Millie (2011), Bye Bye Birdie (2012), Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (2013), The King and I (2014), Guys and Dolls (2015), Fiddler on the Roof (2016), Into the Woods (2017), Meet Me in St. Louis (2018) and Hello Dolly! (2019).

Ellen Seyer was the recipient of the 2020 Outstanding Directors Award for the southeast region from the Missouri Choral Directors Association. Seyer, who also received the award in 2004, is head of music in the Performing and Visual Arts Department at Notre Dame and the director of numerous choral ensembles. She also moderates Encore Club and Tri-M Honor Society and is vocal director for the annual spring musical.

The Pep Band celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2020, performing at varsity basketball games during the season. 

Connor Missey and Molly Sellers qualified for All-State Honor Choir and performed at the State Music Convention in January of 2020.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 All-District Honor Choir was held virtually. Twenty-one Notre Dame students were selected for the choir. 

Thirty-six Notre Dame music students earned at least an “Outstanding,” which is the second highest rating possible at the 2023 MSHSAA State Music Festival. Of the 36, eleven received an “Exemplary,” the highest rating possible, and an invitation to State. In 2024, senior Michael Edwards earned all-state honor choir recognition. 

Stella Wright and Michael Edwards were selected for the All-State Honor Choir in 2023, and Edwards was again selected in 2024. 

Alyssa Jurgens and Samantha Schoolman were among 38 students from 25 high schools across Missouri to participate in the 2025 All-State Musical Sweet Charity at the Missouri Thespian Conference.

Musicals performed in the 2020s decade include The Music Man (2020), Singin’ in the Rain (2021), Once Upon A Mattress (2022), Disney’s The Little Mermaid (2023), Bugsy Malone (2024) and The Sound of Music (2025).