advertisement

Metropolis School of the Performing Arts honors 16-year-old donor

Metropolis School of the Performing Arts honors 16-year-old donor

Who knew that performing in the pop culture musical "Schoolhouse Rock" could pay big dividends?

It sure did for 16-year-old Claire Jolie Goodman of Mount Prospect. Back in 2017, when she was a contestant on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, Whiz Kids Week," she drew from one of the songs from the musical.

To answer one of the questions about the wording in the preamble to the U.S. constitution, she recounted the words to one of the show's iconic songs, "The Preamble," which helped her nail the question.

Claire Jolie Goodman, 16, of Mount Prospect gets her first look at the Music and Script library named in her honor at the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights. Courtesy of the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts

Last month, that story came full circle when she donated a portion of her winnings from "Millionaire" back to the theater program that had launched her: the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights.

"For the first time in my life I had the opportunity to give back," Claire said. "It was a natural decision."

Late last month, Metropolis officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Music and Script Library established within the school, named in Claire's honor.

"Claire's gift of this wonderful library will provide new resources to our students and faculty for years to come," said Joe Keefe, executive artistic director. "Claire is an exceptional, generous and enormously talented young person. We are honored to have her in our school."

Lauren Boult, education director, said that while the school has lots of sheet music and scripts, this new library locates them all in one place, making them accessible to students and faculty alike.

Claire Jolie Goodman of Mount Prospect checks out the Music and Script library named in her honor at the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts in Arlington Heights. Courtesy of the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts

Specifically, Boult said the donation enabled the school to add more than 25 new music books, classroom resource books, and new lighting and furniture to enhance and organize the space.

"This donation also allowed the school to open a MusicNotes Pro account," Boult added, "which gives us access to thousands of music titles that we can print with the click of a button and then immediately add them to the library."

Claire says choosing the Metropolis for her first donation was an easy one. She auditioned for her first show there 11 years ago and, over the years, has taken classes in cello, drama, musical theater, voice, improv, sketch comedy and on-camera acting.

Currently, she is a production intern and assistant stage manager for "Disney's The Lion King Jr.," which opens Thursday, Nov. 7, and features students from the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts.

Metropolis officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Music and Script Library Oct. 29, which drew board members and donors to attend. Courtesy of the Metropolis School of the Performing Arts

As a result of her training, Claire has gone on to perform in adult community theater and semiprofessional theater in the Chicago area. Once she completes the "Lion King" run, she has lots of auditions scheduled.

"I knew I would never have been able to do 'Millionaire' successfully without the training I received at Metropolis," Claire said. "There's nowhere else that could have given me the opportunity - and the training - that I've found at the Metropolis."

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.