Back to School
Charles B. French
This is a great script for children as they are heading back to school in the fall. It deals with the temptations of popularity and who we are called to be as followers of Jesus. It may not be easy to reach out and make friends with others, especially if they aren't part of the popular crowd. But sometimes that's far more important.
Reference Verse: Matthew 5:16
Characters:
Rose- She can’t wait to go back to school and be
popular
Jack- He can’t wait to achieve and be better
than everyone
Martha- She’s the one who lets Rose and Jack know
what they need to be really doing
Donna- The new girl in school, she sits by
herself a lot.
Rose and Jack enter.
Rose: Hey Jack.
How was your summer?
Jack: Rose, it
was spectacular. The sights I saw, the once-in-a-lifetime experiences I had. It
really made me think. How about you?
Rose: I saw the
world in a new light. Now I know my true purpose.
Jack: Me, too.
Rose: Aren’t you
excited to be here at school?
Jack: You know,
most people aren’t, but I can’t wait.
Rose: This year
is going to be so awesome!
Jack: You better
believe it. High five! (He goes for the high
five and Rose just looks at him.) Never mind.
Rose: I’ve
decided that my mission this year will be to be popular.
Jack: Really?
Rose: I’ve
already got the invitations to my Birthday party ready.
Jack: Isn’t that
in February?
Rose: It helps to
plan ahead. Besides, by then I’ll be the most popular girl in school. Everyone
will know me and want to be my friend.
Jack: Why?
Rose: Because I’m
nice you nitwit!
Jack: Your
popularity is already dropping with me.
Rose: It doesn’t
matter. Everyone else is going to love me every time I walk by they’ll say,
“There goes Rose. Isn’t she wonderful? I wish I could be as good looking and
popular as she is.” It’s going to be great.
Jack: That’s your
goal? You want everyone to talk about you?
Rose: It’s all
about publicity. You’ve got to get your name out there or you’re nobody. That’s
what I’ve told all three-thousand of my Facebook friends.
Jack: I still
think you have your priorities all wrong.
Rose: Really?
What will you be doing while I bask in my newfound fame and glamour?
Jack: I’m going
to be Champion.
Rose: At what?
Jack: What have
you got? Football, basketball, baseball, I’m going to be MVP of all those
sports. People will see me and know that they are in the presence of athletic
greatness. Pretty soon I’ll have endorsement deals from everyone.
Rose: So you’re
just going to be good at sports?
Jack: Not just at
sports. I there’s a contest at school, I’m winning it. If it’s a spelling bee,
I’m going to be (spells it out)
V-I-C-T-O-R-I-O-U-S. If it’s counting jelly beans in a jar, no one else should
even bother to guess. If the competition involves drawing the best picture, my
work will be more famous than the Mona Lisa.
Rose: So you’re
going to win everything?
Jack: That is my
whole purpose. I want people to know how great I am. When they see me walking
down the hall, they’ll say “There goes Jack, he’s better than anyone else.”
Rose: But will
you be more popular than me?
Jack: I’ll be
better than you at everything, so yes.
Rose: Will not.
Jack: Will too.
Rose: Will not.
Jack: Will too.
Rose: Will not
plus a million.
Jack: Will too
plus infinity!
Rose: Plus double
infinity!
Jack: Plus
infinity-infinity!
As they are arguing,
Donna enters and sits alone by herself, off in the distance.
Rose: Oh, yeah,
well infinity-infinity plus (She notices
Donna.) Who’s that?
Jack: New kid.
Rose: Let her sit
there. I don’t have time to waste on learning her name.
Jack: You got
that right. She doesn’t look like a winner to me, and from now on I only hang
out with winners.
Martha enters and
joins them.
Rose: Absolutely,
it’s all about being popular.
Jack: And better
than everyone else.
Martha: Hey you
two.
Jack: Hi, Martha.
Rose: Hey
yourself. Are you here to hang out with the winners?
Jack: That’s what
this year is going to be about.
Rose: I’m going
to be popular.
Jack: I’m going
to be a winner. That’s what it’s all about.
Martha: Are you
sure about that?
Rose: Isn’t it?
Jack: I think so.
Martha: Have you
seen the new girl over there?
Rose: Of course.
Martha: Why
haven’t you talked to her?
Jack: Well, we
have important things to do, I think. Don’t we?
Rose: I don’t
know. Are you sure we should just stand here and ignore her like this?
Jack: Well, she
does look like she needs a friend, but don’t we need to focus on our goals?
Rose: That’s right.
We’ve got to be popular.
Jack: And
winners.
Martha: She looks
so lonely over there, though. Can’t you relate to that?
Jack: I remember
what it was like on my first day.
Rose: It was
rough.
Jack: But that
doesn’t concern us anymore.
Rose: No, it’s all
about popular.
Martha: Are you
sure about that. What did we hear about in church last Sunday?
Rose: Something
about not leaving the lights on when you leave a room.
Jack: I thought
we weren’t supposed to hide our light.
Martha: That’s
right, it was Matthew 5:16.
Jack: “Let your
light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your
Father in Heaven”
Rose: Isn’t that
what we’re doing, letting people see our light by being popular?
Jack: And
Champions. Yes, we’re letting everyone see the light by our greatness.
Martha: Is that
what it means? Don’t we have to do something else?
Jack: Well, we
are supposed to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Rose: And aren’t
we supposed to treat others like we want to be treated?
Martha: That’s
part of it too.
Rose: You know,
everything I read about being popular says that you have to be mean to everyone
else.
Martha: Why is
that?
Rose: You have to
put them down so you look better than them.
Martha: That
doesn’t sound very nice.
Rose: Well, it
isn’t. I don’t know if I want to be mean.
Jack: You know,
if I’m trying to win all the time, I won’t have time to spend with my friends
or family.
Martha: We’ll
miss you.
Jack: And what if
I can’t win fairly. What if I have to cheat to win?
Martha: That
doesn’t sound like shining your light, does it?
Jack: What if I
just picked a few things to compete in and play as honestly as I can. No
cheating.
Rose: Then you
can still spend time with your friends and family.
Martha: We like
spending time with you.
Rose: You know
who else we could spend time with?
Jack: I was
thinking the exact same thing.
Martha: Let’s go
talk to her.
The three approach Donna.
Rose: Hi, do you
want to hang out with us?
Donna: That would
be great! My name’s Donna.
Jack: Good to
meet you Donna.
Donna: You know,
I thought this was going to be a bad year for me. I’m glad you came by. I think it’s going to be a good year after all.
Martha: We’re
just happy to shine our light.
They all exit.
-----------------------
To see what other scripts are available, go here
Back to School Copyright © 2012 Charles B. French. All Rights Reserved.
You may perform this script for free as long as no admission is charged
for the performance. I would love to hear about how it went, so drop me a
line – you can find the address here.
Permission is required for performances in which admission is charged,
to record a performance of this script, or post any audio or video this
script online.
