CHARLO — In what could be the last school play in the foreseeable future, Charlo high school students staged a non-traditional take on Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” last Thursday.

Last month, school board members voted to eliminate drama classes as part of cost-saving measures.

Despite having just come back from spring break, the more than 30 students involved in the play rose to the challenge of putting on a  performance, said Keith Grebetz, drama and English teacher at the school.

“I thought the kids worked hard. I just love that they can get on stage,” Grebetz said.

The end-of-year plays are originals, including this year’s “Yo…Romz -n- Jules: Eastside, Westside,” which was written by former student Spencer Shafter, current student Trinceton Brown and Grebetz.

In addition to giving students an opportunity to express their creative sides, the drama program also teaches them real-life speech skills to use in job interviews and countless other ways, Grebetz said. By dropping drama classes, Charlo schools are losing an elective as well as the chance for kids to learn those speech skills, he said. Students also will lose exposure to drama, said Grebetz, who takes students to see a production at the University of Montana each year.

“It’s unfortunate, because Charlo does not get enough drama at all,” he said.

When students see other plays, “they’re just floored because they don’t have that exposure,” Grebetz said.