STUDY GUIDE

Table of Contents

Synopsis page 2

About the Authors page 2

List of Characters pp. 3-4

Enrichment Activities pp. 4-6

Captain of the Crossing Guards

By Gretchen Zyndorf

Directed by Amy Heuring

Music by David Nelson Jex

Lyrics by Gretchen Zyndorf

Script by Gretchen Zyndorf

Produced by the Valentine Theatre

Synopsis

Monica, captain of the crossing guards at St. Angina Elementary School, must choose a

successor as she prepares to graduate into middle school. She is the best crossing guard in the

history of St. Angina’s School, so filling her shoes will be difficult. Six junior crossing guards are

eager to blow her golden whistle and take her place by bringing their own special talents and

skills to the job. Who will be chosen to follow in Monica’s footsteps? As Monica is making her

decision, strange, new crossing guard signs appear, throwing both the junior crossing guards

and kindergarteners into an explosion of confusion, silly symbols, and upside-down directions

that Monica and the crossing guards need to figure out before the school day ends.

Setting

Outside of St. Angina’s Elementary School on a sunny day at the end of May

About the Authors

Gretchen Zyndorf (Librettist/Lyricist) is a former elementary school teacher who always has

enjoyed the performing and visual arts. Gretchen says about the show, “I can’t

begin to tell you how exciting it is to hear your ideas said and sung by a terrific

cast…If I had known it was this much fun—I would have started writing plays a

lot sooner! Watching Captain of the Crossing Guards come to life has been

one of the happiest endeavors I have experienced…we hope you enjoy Captain of the

Crossing Guards as much as we have enjoyed bringing Monica and the gang to life. Thank you

for spending an hour on 5th Street and School Bus Drive.”

David Nelson Jex (Composer) is a Professor of Music at the University of Toledo. He has

degrees from the University of Toledo, Bowling Green State University, and a

Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music and Case

Western Reserve University. Dr. Jex enjoys making music in and for the theatre.

His theatre credits include conducting productions of Candide and Pirates of

Penzance. Productions that he has composed music for include UT productions

of Mother Courage and Romeo and Juliet, as well as the Toledo Repertoire Theatre’s A

Christmas Carol. His ballet compositions are The Great Pancake Escape and The Ugly Duckling.

Characters

The Crossing Guards:

Monica-- is the Captain of the Crossing Guards. She is calm, cool, and respected by crossing

guards, kindergarteners, and school administrators, alike. She has to make the most im-

portant decision of her young life, so far—who will replace her as captain next school year?

Bradley Krupnick—wants to be an anchorman on the evening news. He always has a micro-

phone and is ready to interview teachers, students, citizens at a moment’s notice. Bradley

has his finger on the pulse of the bus stop—who’s coming, who’s going…who’s overslept

and didn’t change out of their pajamas. He is the twin brother of Jennifer Krupnick

Jennifer Krupnick—wants to be a dancer and knows she can teach all the children to not just

cross but dance safely across the street. Jennifer can also sing the crossing guard rules. She

also carries a telescope to spot talent, as well as crossing guard infractions. Jennifer knows

how to be the boss. She is the twin sister of Bradley Krupnick.

Amanda—is a feminist/activist/ecologist. She usually sits alone at lunch because her pro-

jects take up a lot of space at the lunch table, and she has no time to waste. She is busy

making graphs on bus efficiency, seat belt usage, and solar-powered school buses. Amanda

wants the best world (and school crossing) possible.

Juan—is a talented rapper and role model. All the children look up to him because he re-

spects what they say and how they feel. He speaks in rhyme and holds up talk bubbles. Juan

thinks rhyming his “sick beats” will keep the kindergarteners safe on the streets.

Rosealee—marches (or crosses) to the beat of her own drummer. She often trips and falls

off the curb, so the kindergarteners learn the safety rules by helping Rosealee cross the

street. She has empathy and is a true friend to all, even mice. Her motto, “If I can make it

across the street, so can you!”

Sparky—is a labradoodle who is a loyal, friendly crossing guard. He always obeys the signals

and signs. Sparky was educated in Switzerland, so he brings an international flair to St. Angi-

na’s. To help the kindergarteners remember the safety rules, he passes out pamphlets and

puppy treats. Sparky rounds up stray kids and herds them to their classrooms. Sparky gets it

done!

Characters (cont’d)

The Adults:

Mr. Roosevelt—is the wise and magical bus driver who watches out for all the children at St.

Angina’s. He is the adult supervisor of the crossing guards, so they come to him to help them

sort out their problems. Monica asks Mr. R’s advice when making her big decision.

Mrs. Bentley—is the school principal. She is a positive, upbeat, yet firm influence. All the

crossing guards and kindergarteners love and respect Mrs. B and don’t want to disappoint

her.

Richard the Road Sign Guy—is a frustrated artist who used to work as a sign painter for the

county transportation department. After a phone call from the St. Angina school secretary,

Richard is pressed into service once again…and the confusion begins.

Sound FX Guys 1 & 2—are in charge of the props and some of the special effects in the show.

They also play some of the extra characters and are the janitors at St. Angina Elementary

School.

Old Monica—is 6th grade Monica’s future self…if she decides to be a crossing guard forever.

Old Monica comes to Young Monica in a candy-infused dream to give her some sassy but nec-

essary advice about growing up.

The Kindergarteners:

Timothy—is a kindergartener who breaks the safety rules and runs in circles.

Janie—is a confused kindergarten girl who gets her jacket in a twist.

Captain of the Crossing Guards Enrichment Suggestions

Language Arts (Speaking and Writing)

Write a rap (like Juan) or poem to share with

the class on one of these themes from the

show: school safety, climate change/the

environment/nature, growing up, friend-

ship, a topic that is important to you.

If you were Monica, who would you have cho-

sen as the new captain of the crossing

guards? Write a paragraph explaining your

choice.

Cooperative learning—write and perform a

commercial (live or on video) about a ser-

vice or product (real or imagined).

Bradley Krupnick wants to be an anchorman

when he grows up. Watch the local news

with your class or another adult. What tal-

ents does Bradley have that would make

him a good newscaster? What skills does

Bradley still need to learn?

Science

Investigate the fuel sources for the buses in

your school district. What kind of fuel do

they use (diesel, ethanol, biodiesel, gaso-

line, hybrid)? What is the gas mileage of

the average school bus?

Amanda would like to see solar-powered

school buses in the future. Is that possible?

Investigate the use of solar power for

school buses and other vehicles.

Investigate why avalanches occur. Can ava-

lanches be prevented? If so, how?

Like Amanda, create posters to encourage re-

cycling around your school.

Investigate these alternative energies (solar

power, wind power, hydroelectric power).

What are the advantages and disad-

vantages of each?

Math Skills

Probability—Monica has to choose a new

crossing guard captain from six possible

junior crossing guard candidates. What is

the probability of one of the guards being

chosen as captain?

Story Problem—Mr. Roosevelt gives Monica a

$10.00 gift card to the local candy store. If

Monica buys one pound of gummy worms

at $2.98 per pound, two candy bars at .79

each, and half pound of Nerds at $6.50 per

pound, how much money does Monica

spend? Does Monica have any money left

on her gift card? If so, how much?

Values Education (Decision-Making)

Why do you think choosing the new crossing

guard captain was so difficult for Monica?

Who helped Monica make her decision?

What are some important decisions you might

have to make?

Will you make these decisions by yourself?

Explain.

Will you ask for help? Explain.

If you do ask for help, whom will you ask?

Why?

Geography

Sparky spent some time in Switzerland before attending St. Angina Elementary School. Here are some fun

facts about Switzerland:

Switzerland produces the most chocolate in the world

The Swiss eat more chocolate per capita than any other country

Switzerland is the only country with a square flag

Switzerland has more than 1500 lakes

Switzerland has four official languages—French, Italian, German, and Romansch

Snowboarding, skiing, and mountaineering are popular sports

60% of the country’s electricity comes from a hydroelectric power source.

Here are two websites with further information about Switzerland:

https://kidsnationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/Switzerland/#switzerland-alphorns.jpg

https://www.oddizzi.com/teachers/explore-the-world/places/europe/switzerland

Here are three websites with free handouts for classroom lessons:

Standardized test practice— https://www.studenthandouts.com/00/199806/switzerland-map-worksheet.pdf

(Answer Key: 1. B 2. D 3. A 4. C 5. A 6. 100 miles)

Word Search—https://www.studenthandouts.com/00/199801/switzerland-word-search-puzzle.pdf

Alphabetical Order practice—https://studenthandouts.com/geography/europe/western-europe/

switzerland/switzerland-cities-abc-alphabetical-order-worksheet.html