Families and community members watch as Rice Elementary students perform on stage, marking the long-awaited return of Bada Bing, It’s Spring! with a special reunion of past and present students. (Tyler ISD Communications/Contributed Photo)

TFROM STAFF REPORTS

Five years in the making, a long-awaited moment happened at Rice Elementary School last Thursday when second graders took the stage to perform the musical “Bada Bing, It’s Spring!”

The students weren’t alone. Former Rice students, now in seventh grade, returned for a special performance, making up for the opportunity they missed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Originally scheduled for that spring, the musical was set to be performed by that year’s second graders, but the onset of the-19 pandemic forced schools to close before the show could take place.

Determined to give students a chance to showcase their hard work, Rice Elementary music teacher Kristin Pool invited them to submit videos of themselves performing from home. She then compiled those clips into a virtual performance and shared it with families.

Five years later, those students were invited back to join the current second graders for a special number. At the end of the musical, the 7th graders took the stage to sing one of the songs, creating a meaningful moment of reunion and celebration.

“This performance was more than just a musical; it was about coming full circle,” Pool said. “These students worked so hard back in 2020, only to have their moment taken away by circumstances beyond their control. To see them return to the stage and sing one of the songs they once recorded from home was incredibly special.”

Families, friends, and community members gathered to witness the evening as past and present Rice students joined together in song.