Being proactive has become a superpower at Eugene Field.
The enthusiasm stems from guidance counselor Esther Luna’s creation of the characters Reactive Man and Proactive Woman to help illustrate the first habit of the elementary school’s Leader in Me program.
Starring third graders Olivia Pritchett and Carter Battles, the ensuing skit premiered during a makeshift red-carpet event hosted for the student body on Friday, Sept. 20, in the gymnasium.
“I always do the right thing even when no one is looking,” says Olivia in the YouTube video. She later advises Carter, the antagonist: “You need to concentrate on the things you can control like your words, actions, ideas and behavior.”
During the climax of the script, Carter gets tired of suffering the consequences of his actions like missing recess all the time, so he decides to heed Olivia’s advice, and becomes **spoiler alert** Proactive Man.
“He changes his ways,” explained Luna, interviewing the actors afterward as each class took turns posing for photos with the superheroes. Eugene Field Principal Kristen Spain added: “It’s hard to be great at any of the other habits if you’re not in charge of you.”
The special viewing over popcorn served as a precursor to Luna’s weekly lesson on “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen Covey, the foundation of the LIM program under which Eugene Field has maintained Lighthouse status. Proactive Woman and Reactive Man made their stage debut in 2015 during Eugene Field’s second annual Leadership Day.
The skit evolved into a short film during the 2020/21 school year, however many staff members have changed along with the addition of a refocus room, so Luna decided it was time to reshoot the movie with a new set of characters. “You guys know, every so often you have to remake a classic,” she explained to the students.
The parents of the leading actors were invited to attend the premiere as well. "She was over the top," shared Olivia's mother, Ashley Pritchett, about her daughter being cast. Olivia reportedly informed her mother: “I’m in a movie, and I’m the star!”
Meanwhile Carter “practiced forever,” his mother Brittany Landers revealed. He participated in a theater program in recent months and went on to successfully audition to play the roles of a flying monkey and Lollipop Guild member in the PBHS Drama Club’s “The Wizard of Oz” next month at Kay Porter Theater. “I realized, if I did Drama Camp, I should be in a play,” Carter said.
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Cutline: Third grade actors Carter Battles and Olivia Pritchett pose next to the stage door of the gymnasium prior to the premiere of their short film.