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BLOOMFIELD, IOWA -- Davis County 1st Grade students took to the stage on Wednesday, not so much to perform, but to practice their language skills.

And while the performance drew a packed house at the Iowa Theater in downtown Bloomfield, the real purpose was to help prepare students to use language in public.

Most people are terrified of public speaking, so how did the students ract when they found out they were going to be on stage?

"Oh they were just elated we had big smiles they just couldn't believe they were going to be onstage. It's just a wonderful time to get them when they are younger like this. You know they aren't inhibited by any means so they just get up there and do their thing and its just a great time for that," First Grade Teacher Kelly Swan said.

Each section of the 1st Grade worked on their performances during class, making costumes and learning their lines.

The stories ran the gamut from fractured fairy tales to a short Broadway type musical.