“Third Graders from Mars”…no, this isn’t how we are describing our students during the final days of this school term! This was an original opera written and produced by the third grade class, The Alien 80 Opera Company. Every student had a job during the opera, including carpenters, electricians, public relations, historians, performers, stage managers, production manager, make-up artists, costume designers, set designers, writers, composers, and newspaper reporters. The third grade teachers were the directors, and they were assisted this year by former Pierce Street student, Jessica Redd. She chose this for her Senior Project. The two opera performances on April 25 and 28 shared the important message of “it’s okay to be different”. This project was also made possible by our partnerships with the Mississippi Arts Commission and the New York City Metropolitan Opera Guild.