Fort Worth’s Scott Theater showcases Dallas student and motivational speaker Dalton Sherman

by Casandra Haynes

FORT WORTH — “Do you believe in me? Do you?” These are the first words spoken from well-known Dallas ISD student Dalton Sherman as he walked across the stage, engaging the audience as he does best. His speech was the opening to the musical District XI: Believe in Me, presented by Kids Who Care in Fort Worth's Scott Theater on Friday, Oct. 2.

This light-hearted musical casted students from elementary school to high school age and included various adults who acted as teachers and administrators.

Dalton has reached national fame from a motivational speech he first gave to 17,000 teachers in Dallas. He was then on Oprah in 2008 and later interviewed by Jenna Bush Hager on NBC's Today show. Dalton has become our Dallas-Fort Worth child icon for inspiration.

The play had the tendency to be corny. The theater was filled with parents and kids cramming into the sold-out space. But as soon as Dalton's voice filled the air, the audience was clearly moved and broke out in applause multiple times. He was truly inspirational.

District XI: Believe in Me took me back to my childhood years and reminded me of how much I loved being a kid with close friends. The musical depicted every type of student, ranging from the nerd to the popular football player.

Throughout the musical, every actor had unparalleled energy and fell in sync with the other child performers. The singers were perfectly in tune and no one seemed to miss a step in the choreography. It was simply enjoyable in every way, and I wish that every child could have felt the positive energy from this musical.