Rave reviews for 'Russell Saves Christmas'

Aaron Snyder, The Daily Independent, Ashland, Ky.
Updated ·4 min read

Dec. 5—CANNONSBURG — What happens when three rebellious teens put their heads together to completely sabotage Christmas?

When Russell High School Principal Dave Caniff emphatically denied Jack Frosty's request to form a magic club, he was on the warpath.

Frosty, played by Jack Bender, partnered with Trey Moore, aka Green Wizard, and Caleb Caines, aka Purple Sparkle, as they costumed up and plotted a scheme to cast magic spells on Santa and Mrs. Claus on their visit to Russell High School in "Russell Saves Christmas."

Dozens of students of all ages and abilities walked the red carpet en route to a private screening of the 70-minute film in Auditorium 1 at the Cinema at Camp Landing on Tuesday morning.

"It's so nice because they get to share this experience with their families," said Crystal Cantrell, a speech pathologist who directed and produced the movie. She and Drew Matney, a special assistance resource teacher at Russell High, were the screenwriters. Matney was the videographer and video editor, too. He also starred as Santa Claus.

"We wrote parts specific to the individual child and what their abilities were, so that way we could showcase their unique abilities and what they're capable of doing," Cantrell said.

Gracie Horne, playing herself, is an aspiring broadcast journalist who is the lead reporter for RHS News' "The Devils' Advocate." Noah Brand's role is Cam Cameron, who prefers to stay behind the camera and is a skilled skier when away from school — "the Lindsey Vonn of his generation."

When Horne spots a My Town TV intern advertisement on a bulletin board in the hallway, she is eager to break a big story. Her search for an angle concludes when she and Cameron catch a glimpse of Jack Frosty, who chose the villain name "King Christmas," Green Wizard and Purple Sparkle.

Santa and Mrs. Claus, played by Olivia Matney, traveled to Russell from the North Pole to present the North Pole Spirit of Christmas Award to Russell High in a school assembly. Santa awarded the esteemed honor to the school for its "sense of community, impeccable work ethic and Christmas spirit."

Soon after, King Christmas — whose Caniff-inflicted punishment was helping make baked goodies for the occasion — enticed Santa to devour several cookies in the absence of Mrs. Claus, who had departed to find healthy snacks for her husband. Mrs. Claus had warned Santa that eating cookies in excess would drop his blood sugar to a sleep-inducing level. Santa didn't heed said warning, and King Christmas's plan worked like a charm. With the help of his buddies, they managed to wand-wave Mrs. Claus into a deep slumber, too.

The troublemaking trio hopped on a train to the North Pole.

Noah the Head Elf Supervisor, played by Noah Stamm, stayed on task while King Christmas, Green Wizard and Purple Sparkle had many other elves in a sluggish daze just before Christmas Eve.

With loads of work to be done at the eleventh hour, Gracie and Cam were able to send a message to Superintendent Dr. Sean Horne, who spewed hot cocoa all over his MacBook upon discovering his daughter was broadcasting from the North Pole.

Meanwhile, Noah, quick on his feet, dressed as a Polar Bear and scared the daylights out of King Christmas, causing the bad guy to pass out.

Russell students, encouraged by longtime cheerleader Ruthie Lynd, boarded a bus with the Clauses and magically made their way to the North Pole in the nick of time. They chipped in to handle duties of various elf departments to save Christmas.

"It was amazing to see those kids (on the big screen) and show their talents and get to be recognized for what they've done," Caniff said. "Crystal and Drew, they did an amazing job."

Cantrell said it was a nine-month-long project that began with script-writing in March. They began filming in August.

"It was really fun, and I think our kids learn from each other," Cantrell said. "We had kids with special needs and kids from regular education classes, and they all learn from each other. It was just really fun. We laughed a lot, as you can tell by the bloopers at the end of the movie."

The main cast of student actors consisted of the following: Gracie Horne, Noah Brand, Jack Bender, Trey Moore, Noah Stamm, Caleb Caines, Mari Jo Thompson, Keaton Lyon and Leland Martin.

It also featured Enzo Fressola, Tatum Fleming, Noah Quinn, Gavin Stumbo, Jacob Brooks, Addie Jones, Audrey Patel, Andrew Yates, Joshua Caines, Celia Monte, Sofia Ortiz, Rylee Parker, Hollis McFall, Trey Profitt, Kendall Queen, Erin Shroll, Micah Robertson, Will Christian, Quentin Hewlett, Joe Kaczmarczyk, Andre Crews, Tucker Marshall, Kennadi Marshall, Leah Russell, Caroline Caniff, Briar Howell, Walter Perry, Nora Smith, Zeke Wills, Parker Blum, Bryson Caniff, Gabriel Elder, Dylan Ferguson, Brody Ferguson, Gemma Miller, Owen Perry, Peyton Stumbo, Sammy Wills, Noah Danner, Isaiah Elder, Elyjah Iddings, Brayden Lemaster, Ellie McGuire, Cooper Rice, Ava Gabbard, Maleah Jankowski, Chloe Jones, Coralyn and Hayden McGuire.