Will Chizzle Wizzle In Augusta Require Masks To Be Worn?

As you may know, Cony High School's Chizzle Wizzle is the longest running high school show in the entire country (maybe the world).  This year's event, the first in-person event in two years, will be the 131st running of the show.  The event started in the 1890s as a fundraiser for the school's football team.

As the students prepare for the event, one question is on their minds: will they be required to wear masks while they are performing on stage?

According to the KJ, on Wednesday, Cony Senior & president of the Chizzle Wizzle production Grace Kirk asked the board of education to allow performers to remove their masks while on stage.  Non-performers would, of course, continue to remain masked.

During the conversation, Superintendent of the Augusta Public Schools Jim Anastasio did mention that Central Maine superintendents were meeting with Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention, on Thursday to talk about potential changes to the in-school mask mandate.

As we (hopefully) near the end of the pandemic, we are beginning to see many mandates rolled back.  However, at this point, things could go either way.

During the meeting, Kirk explained how wearing a mask during the performances hinders the production.  She explained there were technical difficulties with wearing a mask and also:

The facial expressions crucial to the roles will be non-existent, the smiles on our faces when we take our final bows and the photos of our greatest high school memory will not even have our faces in them

Possible workarounds are being investigated.  One of the concerns about allowing the removal of masks for extra curricular activities is that means the school would give up its "universal masking" status and it would have to start contact tracing again.

In recent days, many school districts across the country have began dropping mask requirements.  In other cases, they have set dates for the removal of those requirements.  Of course, in nearly all of those cases, parents / students who are concerned about the spread of the virus have the option to continue to wear a mask.

Unless guidance changes in the next few weeks, everyone attending will be required to wear masks regardless of vaccination status.  The show is scheduled to run March 15-18 at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale at 5:30 p.m. show nights.