On Oct. 25, the theater department brought a little Disney magic to campus with its first-ever “Princess Pancake” breakfast, an interactive, family-friendly event filled with sparkly crowns, sing-along songs and plenty of syrup, all to raise money for scholarship funds.
Students dressed as beloved Disney princesses, sang familiar tunes and took pictures with young fans. According to students, the event was a hit.
“We made money the very first year, so we’re very happy about raising those funds,” booster club president Kimberly Martin said. “We’re very proud of our volunteers who took a chance on putting together an event that they had never attended in person or seen in action.”
Parent and student volunteers arrived early to transform the cafeteria into a fairytale setting, complete with decorated tables, coloring pages and craft stations.
“We were in the cafeteria and they decorated a few of the tables and then they gave kids stuff to draw like pictures of Disney princesses,” freshman Julia D’Andria, who dressed as Cinderella, said. “They also gave the kids wands to decorate and then a couple princesses sang and I actually did a wand workshop tutorial.”
Students chose which princess to portray, with many picking characters that held special meaning.
“I wanted to be Elsa because I’ve been her before in a production of Frozen Jr. at NTPA (North Texas Performing Arts) and I also love her songs and the story,” senior Willow Nwamadi said. “I also thought that all of the kids would absolutely love for her to be a princess at this event.”
At the 10 a.m. session, kids were still waking up over pancakes, but by noon they were fully energized and ready to cast spells.
“The kids made me run around and they used their magic to make me turn into different animals, it was great,” said Jonas Harris, who dressed as Prince Charming.
The breakfast not only helped the department reach its fundraising goal but also gave theater students a chance to connect with the community and spread some Disney cheer.
“It was super fun, I think all of the kids really enjoyed interacting with all the princesses,” freshman Lily Stein, who dressed as Princess Anna, said. “I definitely had a lot of fun because it’s not every day you get to put a smile on kids’ faces.”
